The Best Cornbread Stuffing with Free Printable

"One of the greatest pleasures of my life has been that I have never stopped learning about good cooking and good food."

- Edna Lewis

Do your kids like to help in the kitchen around the holidays? We've got a cornbread stuffing recipe that's simple enough for kids to make during a busy holiday season without sacrificing flavor. In fact, this is the most flavorful stuffing we've ever had.

This cornbread stuffing recipe might just be our best-kept secret...well, until now. So ditch that dusty old stuffing recipe and give this one a try.

If you like this stuffing, you'll want the marmalade to go with it.

Learn more about cooking with kids.

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• In Pursuit of Flavor
• Roast Turkey
• Food from Around the World: Free Cooking Lessons
• Top Tip
• How to Make the Best Cornbread Stuffing
• Cornbread Stuffing
• Montessori Continent Boxes
• The Best Cornbread Stuffing Recipe

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In Pursuit of Flavor

This cornbread stuffing recipe is from In Pursuit of Flavor by Edna Lewis as well as Matt Horn's southern-style stuffing.

We took the simple elegance of Miss Lewis's stuffing and added the cornbread element from Matt's recipe to achieve this delicious homemade cornbread stuffing that couldn't have disappeared faster from everyone's holiday plate.

I learned about cooking and flavor as a child, watching my mother prepare food in our kitchen in Virginia. She took great care with the food she fed her large family and our assorted guests and I suppose I just naturally followed her example. In those days, we lived by the seasons, and I quickly discovered that food tastes best when it is naturally ripe and ready to eat.

I grew up in Freetown, a small farming community in Orange County, Virginia, which was founded by my grandfather and his friends shortly after his emancipation from slavery. Living in a rural area gave my mother the chance to cook food soon after it was picked.

- Edna Lewis

Edna Lewis is a culinary icon, an American chef and author of several books, including In Pursuit of Flavor and The Taste of Country Cooking.

Kids can learn more about Edna Lewis with Chef Edna: Queen of Southern Cooking, Edna Lewis.

Learn more about Matt Horn.

Stop by our shop to see more Family & Kid's Cooking Resources.

Learn more about allergies and your family.

How to Make the Best Cornbread Stuffing

Ingredients

• white bread - use your favorite day-old white bread
• cornbread - day-old cornbread works best
• onions
• celery
• salt
• black pepper - we like this Aranya black pepper ground using a molcajete
• thyme
• sage
• rosemary
• sausage (optional)
• poultry seasoning - Miss Lewis recommends Bell's seasoning but any poultry seasoning will work
• butter

Equipment

• apron
• prep bowls
• child-friendly knife
• butcher block
• chef knife
• bread knife
• kitchen scale
• measuring spoons
• measuring cup
• blue carbon steel pan
• small saucepan
• oval gratin dish
• learning tower (as needed)

Slice the Bread

Wash your hands with soap and water. Use a bread knife to cut the day-old white bread and cornbread into ¼-inch cubes. You'll want approximately 12 cups of bread cubes for this recipe. Place them in a large bowl and set aside.

Chop the Vegetables

Using a chef knife or child-friendly knife, chop the onions, celery, and celery leaves. Place them in a bowl and set aside.

Chop the Herbs

Use the same knife to chop the rosemary, sage, and thyme. Transfer them to a small bowl and set aside.

Cook the Sausage

Turn the stove on medium heat. Place the sausage in the pan. Wash your hands. Use a wooden spoon to break up the sausage as it cooks. Turn off the stove when cooked evenly throughout. Drain any excess fat.

Melt the Butter

Place the butter in a small saucepan. Turn the burner on medium-low. Turn off the stove when the butter is melted.

Transfer the Dry Ingredients to a Large Bowl

While the butter is melting, you can go ahead and add the remaining ingredients to the large bowl.

Mix Everything Together

Use a measuring spoon to measure out the poultry seasoning. Mix everything with a spoon.

Add the Melted Butter

Pour the melted butter over the top of the stuffing mixture and use a spoon or your hands to mix it.

Stuff the Turkey

If you're making stuffing for a turkey dinner, you can stuff that bird now. Follow the guidelines for cooking a stuffed turkey.

If you're not stuffing a turkey or have leftover stuffing, proceed to the next step.

Steam the Leftover Stuffing

Transfer the stuffing to a steamer or an Instant Pot with a steamer insert. Add 4 cups of liquid (either pan drippings plus water OR you could also use chicken stock) to the steamer. Steam the stuffing for 35 minutes.

For the best results, Miss Lewis recommends the steamer method over baking the remaining stuffing in the oven alongside the turkey.

Free Cornbread Stuffing Recipe for Pre-Readers and Up

Grab your free printable recipe cards above. Kids can gather ingredients using the ingredient list, gather their equipment with the tools list, and prepare the meal using the step-by-step recipe cards, with assistance as needed.

The cards are easy to use, include pictures, and encourage confidence and independence in the kitchen. They also make an excellent addition to your Montessori continent box for North America.