Jalapeños, cheddar cheese, and sausage make this cornbread stuffing something special. Who said Thanksgiving sides had to be the same every year?
By Matt Robinson
This stuffing is perfect for either Thanksgiving or Christmas. It’s one you can make a day ahead and give a quick low and slow reheat. In fact, it will taste even better. The overnight rest lets all the flavors dig deeply into the cornbread.
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Spicy Cheddar and Sausage Cornbread Stuffing
- Yield: 8 to 10 servings 1x
Description
Jalapeños, cheddar cheese, and sausage make this cornbread stuffing something special. Who said Thanksgiving sides had to be the same every year?
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Stuffing
- 8 cups dried cornbread (use your favorite recipe or see recipe below)
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 12oz. Jones Dairy Farm Pork Sausage
- 2 cups chopped yellow onions
- 1/2 cups 1/4-inch slices celery
- 1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
- 2 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth, divided
- 2 large eggs
Cornbread
- 1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 cup cornmeal
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 medium jalapeño chile, cored, seeded, and chopped fine
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 3/4 cup fontina cheese
- 3/4 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1/3 cup parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 3/4 cup frozen corn kernels (3 1/2 ounces), thawed
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 large eggs
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
Instructions
Stuffing
- Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter 9×13 casserole pan; set aside.
- In a large skillet melt butter over medium-high heat. Add sausage and onions, stir and break up sausage; cook sausage and is cooked through, about 7 minutes. Add to bowl with bread, stir in herbs, salt, and pepper. Drizzle in 1 cup broth, gently toss.
- Whisk together 1 cup broth and eggs in a small bowl. Add to bread mixture, gently fold until thoroughly combined. Transfer to prepared dish, cover with foil, and bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of dressing registers 160°, about 40 minutes.
Cornbread
- Heat oven to 400 degrees. Cover a 8-inch square pan with nonstick spray.
- In a large bowl whisk together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, cayenne, jalapeño, salt, and cheeses in medium bowl until combined. Create a well in the center; set aside. In food processor or blender, process brown sugar, thawed corn kernels, and buttermilk until combined, about 5 seconds.
- Add eggs and process until well combined (a few corn lumps will remain), about 5 seconds longer. Pour mixture into well of dry ingredients and begin folding dry ingredients into wet with a just a few turns to combine. Add melted butter and continue folding until dry ingredients until are just moistened. Pour batter into prepared baking dish; use an offset spatula to smooth out surface.
- Bake until deep golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 25 to 35 minutes. Cool on wire rack 10 minutes; remove from pan and allow to cool, about 25 minutes.
- Cut into ¼ inch pieces and allow to dry out completely, about 2 days or place in oven at 200 degrees F and bake for 3 hours.
- Category: Side
- Cuisine: Holiday
