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Cornbread Dressing with Sausage and Fennel
Recipes
Cornbread Dressing with Sausage and Fennel
8 servings
2 hours total (Active 2 hours)

Ingredients

  • 15 oz Bakery Homestyle Cornbread, cut into 1-inch cubes
  • ¾ pound bulk breakfast sausage, casings removed
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
  • 1 medium fennel bulb, roughly chopped
  • 4 celery stalks, roughly chopped
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
  • 1 teaspoon dried sage leaves
  • 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth, divided
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 large eggs, beaten to blend

Steps

    1. Preheat oven to 300°F.
    2. Divide cornbread between 2 large rimmed baking sheets. Bake, tossing occasionally, until beginning to brown in spots and dried out, about 40-45 minutes.
    3. Meanwhile, cook sausage in a large skillet on medium-high heat, 6-8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer sausage to a small bowl; let cool.
    4. Reduce heat to medium and melt 4 tablespoons butter in same skillet. Add fennel, and celery; cook, stirring often, until vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes.
    5. Increase oven temperature to 400°F. Butter a 9x13-inch baking dish. Combine sausage, fennel mixture, parsley, thyme, sage, and 1 1⁄2 cups broth in a large bowl. Add cornbread and toss to combine; season with salt and pepper. Let sit 10 minutes, then add remaining 1⁄2 cup broth and toss, adding more broth if needed. Add eggs and mix gently just to combine. Transfer dressing to prepared baking dish and dot with remaining 2 tablespoons butter.
    6. Cover dressing with foil and bake until heated through, about 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake until dressing is golden and crisp on top, 15-20 minutes more.
    7. Serve garnished with fennel fronds.