This recipe is the culmination of a lifetime of holiday baking … it’s one part tradition and one part my inability to not tinker around with things. The bones of this fantastic cornbread and sausage dressing are very much thanks to my Grandma, and the rest is due to my own riffing. We’ve got a great store-bought mix (trust me on this), store-bought sweet cornbread, and then some buttery croissants. So, she’s carby this one. But there’s also some tasty sausage, garlic, butter, and loads of herbaceousness (what a word), and fresh veggies as well.
It’s an absolute slam dunk of a recipe, and it’s also really beautiful, so far as stuffings go. I hope you give this one a try and fall head over heels, just like my family did years and years ago. If this seems like it’s right up your alley, you might also enjoy my Sausage and Croissant Breakfast Casserole or my Green Chile and Chicken Enchiladas. This sweet breakfast casserole is also amazing, as is this Hot Corn Dip (it also has spicy sausage, which is the theme here).
Why We Love This Croissant, Cornbread and Sausage Dressing so Much
Well just look at her! I am kind of a sucker for the way this cornbread and sausage dressing looks on a table or countertop. It totally steals the show (croissants have that special quality), and just looks fantastic. It’s an optics thing for sure. But then, so as to not be completely shallow about things, one bite is all it takes to see why this is such a superstar in my family and beyond. It’s utterly and absolutely delicious.
The butter, the veggies, the salty sausage, the sweet cornbread, the ample amount of seasoning … it’s just the best dressing you’ll ever try for all of the reasons above and then some.
Cornbread and Sausage Dressing Ingredient Notes
The Cornbread
This is the biggest tweak I’ve contributed to my family’s long-standing dressing recipe. The sweetness of the cornbread adds such a great depth of flavor to the otherwise super savory recipe, that it’s just perfect to me. Use as much or as little as you like here, I find that between half and all of a standard store-bought loaf is just right. You can also substitute in a few big corn muffins if you have those. Then, of course, you’ll have muffin stuffin on your hands which is great for rhyming dorks like me. If you want to make your cornbread from scratch – go for it, you legend.
The Croissants
These decorate the top of the dressing, giving it such a gorgeous and “come hither” sort of appearance – I die for that. They also get all crunchy and crispy in the oven (umm, butter much?) which, to me, really adds to the lovability of the entire thing. I just tear up three or four big store-bought croissants and call it good.
The Dressing Mix
For this Cornbread and Sausage Dressing, it must be Pepperidge Farm herb-seasoned mix, as it’s the best. That said, if you cannot find that kind, any similar variety will suit. No worries. Just get one that’s super herby, and you’ll be good to go.
The Sausage
Look for “country style” or simply, “pork” sausage here. You can go with either hot or mild or a tasty combination of both.
The Veggies and Aromatics
This is simple and to-the-point – we just do a whole onion and some celery (this is a recipe where celery really makes SUCH a difference. I also add a few big cloves of minced garlic as well, but that’s really optional.
The Stock
A cup of stock combines with a couple of eggs to give this dressing a cohesive, almost bread pudding effect. It binds everything together and moistens beautifully. I call for a whole box of stock, as you will want to drench your stuffing with extra stock before topping it with the torn croissant pieces and sending it into the oven to bake. The amount of stock you use is up to you, though. I like a nice moist dressing so pour about 1.5 cups of stock over the dressing once it’s in my baking dish.
The Seasonings
I like to use a tablespoon of poultry seasoning for this. It gives it the most Thanksgiving-esque aroma ever and helps to build a very deeply savory flavor.
The Butter
Yes. A whole stick. This is the holidays. This is what makes it so stinking delicious. We need that moisture and richness to keep things from getting dry.
The Eggs
Similar to a bread pudding or breakfast casserole, we need to crack a couple of eggs into the mix here. This acts as a binder and brings the whole mix together perfectly.
How to make this Croissant and Cornbread Stuffing
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Adjust the oven rack to the middle position. Spray a large (9-by-13-inch at least) baking dish with non-stick spray (or grease with butter).
- Put the dressing/stuffing mix in your largest mixing bowl. Break up the cornbread into pieces/chunks and add those to the bowl.
- Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, poultry seasoning and a good pinch of salt and pepper and cook until the veggies are tender; about 5 or 6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another minute. Transfer the vegetables and all of the garlicky, buttery goodness to the bowl with the cornbread and dressing mix.
- Put the pan back on the stove and brown the sausage. Once it’s cooked, add it to the bowl as well, along with any drippings.
- Combine the eggs and 1 cup of the stock and pour this into the bowl. Mix everything together to evenly distribute, and pour the dressing into the prepared baking dish. At this point you can cover and store in the fridge for a few days, as needed.
- If you plan to bake your dressing right away, pour another cup to 1.5 cups of the stock all over the dressing in the dish. I like to ensure my stuffing is pretty moist, so I really soak it. But this is totally a preferential thing – you may not want to use much stock at all. Up to you!
- Tear up the croissants into large pieces and tuck those in all over the top of the casserole. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes.
- Remove the foil and bake for another 15 or so minutes, until hot and the tops are nice and golden brown. Enjoy warm.
Can you make this cornbread and sausage dressing in advance?
Yes! It’s pretty friendly that way. You can make this dressing up to three days in advance, up to the step where you dump it into your baking dish – stop before adding the extra stock and croissants. Once you’re ready to bake it, allow it to come up to room temperature and then pour your extra stock all over top. Then, scatter the croissants over top, cover with foil and follow the recipe instructions.
What to serve with this Sausage and Cornbread Stuffing
Oh, the places this dressing can and WILL go. Here’s what we suggest serving with her:
PrintCrunchy Croissant, Cornbread and Sausage Dressing
This (absolutely delicious) recipe is designed to serve a crowd, but can easily be reduced or frozen (pre-baking) if you like. Just freeze half of the dressing in freezer-safe bags for up to three months and then thaw and use as directed, whenever the craving strikes. Bake half now, and the other half later.Â
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: Serves 8 to 12 1x
- Category: Holiday
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 12-ounce package Pepperidge Farm herb seasoned dressing/stuffing mix
- 1–pound cornbread or a few large corn muffins (store-bought)
- 8 tablespoons butter
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 4 celery stalks, diced
- 1 tablespoon poultry seasoning
- Salt and pepper
- 3 garlic cloves, minced or grated
- 1.5 pounds country sausage (hot or mild or a combo of both)
- 32-ounce box chicken stock
- 2 eggs
- 4 or 5 large croissants
Also needed: Nonstick cooking oil spray, foil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Adjust the oven rack to the middle position. Spray a large (9-by-13-inch at least) baking dish with non-stick spray (or grease with butter).
- Put the dressing/stuffing mix in your largest mixing bowl. Break up the cornbread into pieces/chunks and add those to the bowl.
- Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, poultry seasoning and a good pinch of salt and pepper and cook until the veggies are tender; about 5 or 6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another minute. Transfer the vegetables and all of the garlicky, buttery goodness to the bowl with the cornbread and dressing mix.
- Put the pan back on the stove and cook the sausage, over medium to medium-high. Once it’s just cooked, add it to the bowl as well, along with any drippings.
- Combine the eggs and 1 cup of the stock and pour this into the bowl. Mix everything together to evenly distribute and moisten. Pour the dressing into the prepared baking dish. At this point you can cover and store in the fridge for a few days, as needed.
- If you plan to bake your dressing right away, pour another 1 to 1.5 cups of the stock all over the dressing in the dish. I like to ensure my stuffing/dressing is pretty moist but this is totally a preferential thing – you may not want to use much stock at all. Up to you! You can’t really mess it up.
- Tear up the croissants into large pieces and tuck those in all over the top of the casserole. Spray the top of the casserole with more oil spray (optional, but great for browning). Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes.
- Remove the foil and bake for another 15 or so minutes, until everything is good and hot and the tops are nice and golden brown (see baking note). Enjoy warm.
Notes
If the top is getting darker than you’d like, before the dressing is really heated through, you can move it to the bottom rack and/or lay the foil right back over top, just loosely draped is fine. That will impede any browning for you.
