Holiday Cornbread Stuffing Recipe

This holiday cornbread stuffing is a gluten free alternative for those who may feel discomfort from ingesting gluten-based products. Feel free to substitute bread for this recipe or to remove the sausage and mushroom for a more classic style stuffing that is gluten free.

Ingredients for Cornbread Stuffing:

Cornbread:

4 C. Fine Grind Cornmeal (24 oz.) Please read recipe notes here.

2 tsp. Baking Powder

1 tsp. Baking Soda

1 tsp. Kosher Salt

32 oz. Plain Yogurt

8 tbsp. Butter (Melted)

2 ea. Whole Eggs

¾ C. Honey

Stuffing Mixture

1 Batch Cornbread

1 ½ C. Yellow Onion (Finely Diced)

1 ½ C. Celery (Finely Diced)

1 C. Carrot (Finely Diced)

8 oz. Smoked Sausage (Diced)

5 Grams Dried Mushrooms (Porcini or Black Trumpets Work Best)

4 C. Chicken Stock See Notes

1 C. White Wine

2 tbsp. Garlic (Minced)

1 tsp. Salt

½ tsp Black Pepper

1 tbsp. Thyme

1 tbsp. Sage

1 ½ tsp. Rosemary

2 tbsp. Parsley

Method for Cornbread Stuffing:

  1. Combine cornmeal, baking soda, baking powder, and the salt in a large bowl and mix thoroughly.
  2. Combine yogurt, honey, eggs, and the melted butter in another bowl and mix thoroughly.
  3. Combine the two mixtures and add into two 8×8 square baking dishes. One 9×13 should also be sufficient, but your baking time may vary.
  4. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes. 20 if you used two 8×8 pans and closer to 30 if you are using the 9×13. We are looking for lightly brown on the top and firm to the touch in the center.
  5. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely. Remove from baking dish, cut into 1-inch cubes, and allow to dry for 3-4 days either in your cooled oven or on your countertop.
  6. In a large sauté pan over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of neutral oil. After 30 seconds, add the diced sausage and cook until it is just starting to brown.
  7. Add the carrots, celery, and onions and cook for another 4 minutes. Turn the heat to low if the sausage starts to burn too much.
  8. Add the garlic, white wine, salt, pepper, and ½ cup of stock and cook until all the liquid is gone. It should take several minutes.
  9. In a separate sauce pot, combine the remaining stock and dried mushrooms. Bring to a simmer, add the herbs, turn off the heat, and let sit for 25-30 minutes.
  10. While waiting for the mushroom stock mixture to sit, combine the cornbread and sausage mixture in a large bowl.
  11. Once the stock mixture has sat for 30 minutes and the mushrooms are tender, add to the cornbread mixture one half at a time, mixing in between halves. If you are prepping a day ahead, stop here.
  12. Put stuffing mixture in a large baking dish, and bake in a 350° oven, covered with aluminum foil, for 40 minutes. Remove the cover and bake an additional 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve.

Recipe Notes:

I used dried mushrooms in this recipe as they help to balance out the sweetness of the cornbread.  Soaking them in the stock liquid for 30 minutes is crucial to them being edible at the end of the baking process.

I tried this recipe with a coarse grind cornmeal and was not pleased with the results at all.  I think the fine grind is much better suited for this recipe, but if you already have coarse grind at home, you CAN use it.