The Tasty Bread Swap That Will Elevate Your Thanksgiving Stuffing

While Mobile Cuisine reports that stuffing may not have been a part of the first Thanksgiving's menu, that hasn't stopped 50% of Americans from putting the dish out every Turkey day. However, you may find that after years of making your stuffing the good-old-fashioned way with butter, bread, onion, celery and herbs, per The Girl Who Ate Everything, you want to try putting a new, tasty twist on this iconic Thanksgiving side. Luckily, you only need to look at the different ways America's 50 States prepare this traditional dish for inspiration on how to upgrade your dressing's wow factor.

For example, according to The Washington Post, the Pennsylvania Dutch have taken to whipping up stuffing filled with potatoes in honor of the biggest feast of the year. And if you hop over to Minnesota, you'll find that stuffing made with the state's unique wild rice is sure to be a part of many residents' Thanksgiving spreads. But while all of these recipes would add a little magic to your classic side dish, if you want to elevate your stuffing with one simple ingredient swap, we suggest taking cooking notes from the folks below the Mason-Dixon Line.

Use cornbread in your stuffing

Have you ever heard of cornbread dressing? According to Southern Living, the South invented this dressing dish (dressing is another word for stuffing) to make sure leftover biscuits, cornbread, and bread didn't go to waste. The outlet reports that this style of dressing works well because cornbread is a wheat flour ingredient, which means that it gives dressing the perfect texture while making sure it doesn't fall apart. And that's why you should swap out regular bread for cornbread if you want to make a dressing your Thanksgiving guests can't get enough of.

To add a bit of Southern spirit to your stuffing, you can either make your cornbread from scratch or buy a pre-made mix from your local grocery store. However, no matter which way you choose to make your cornbread, you'll have to crumble it into pieces after you bake it. Then, you will need to put the pieces in an open container on your cabinet for at least 24 hours before using it in your dressing. As Kitchn notes, this step is essential because, like regular bread, making sure the cornbread you use is dry will prevent your stuffing from coming out mushy. After you've properly prepped your cornbread, you can whip up your stuffing as usual. Though this time, thanks to this simple ingredient switch, your stuffing will come out of the oven looking and tasting like gold.