Make A Tasty Cornbread Stuffing With A Twice-Baked Twist Only Southerners Know

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Southern chefs, whether professional or home-kitchen devotees, know a thing or two about cornbread. It's a staple meal component in most households, and the subject of much debate, from what type of cornmeal to use (white or yellow) to how it's cooked (skillet or oven) and whether or not to add sugar. For the record, a good many Southerners, myself included, are of the firm persuasion that traditional cornbread never involves sweeteners. But there's one thing we all pretty much agree on in the kitchen: Tasty cornbread stuffing needs a double dive inside the oven.

The twice-baked twist goes something like this: When making cornbread stuffing or dressing, the ingredients never get tossed together in a bowl and cooked in a one-and-done fashion. Cornbread instead does its own thing from the get-go, standing alone as a separately cooked dish before becoming the base of holiday stuffing. Cooking the cornbread first does add an extra step, but it's well worth the time and effort. Plus, it can be cooked well ahead. 

It matters very little if the cornbread is perfect. In fact, it helps for it to be a bit dry to properly absorb the liquids and multiple stuffing components making their way into the pan. After the baked cornbread and other ingredients mush together into a new (and larger) pan, it all hits the heat again for a second round of cooking. You'll end up with delightfully crispy crust and a moist interior — it's a marriage made in Deep South heaven. 

To help guide you along the way when making twice-baked, Southern-style stuffing, we've got a from-scratch cornbread dressing recipe – though it's worth noting that it's different from cornbread stuffing as it's generally drier and never cooks inside the turkey. But the basic ingredients and the technique of cooking the cornbread first is the same. This approach comes from recipe developer Miriam Hahn, who shares that the result is "a little bit sweet, a little bit salty, and a whole lot of tasty!"

Hahn stresses the importance of making cornbread from scratch instead of a mix. This may be partially due to mainstream cornbread mixes containing excess sugar, which is not what you want in stuffing or dressing. However, unsweetened mixes from Southern-based companies such as Martha White are available on Amazon. After the cornbread is done cooking, remove it from the pan and cool for at least an hour. Then crumble it up with your hands. 

If the big day is here, place the cooked and crumbled cornbread in a large pan, and add in all your favorite stuffing ingredients. This is where you make your own imprint on the meal, tossing in things like chopped onions, celery, eggs, melted butter, sausages, chicken broth, and spices, including poultry seasoning, sage, thyme, rosemary, or whatever your heart desires. The final step is thoroughly mixing the goods, covering with foil, and baking for at least half an hour. Remove the foil in the last few minutes to achieve that crispy, crunchy topping you'll soon be famous for.