This Skillet Cornbread & Sausage Stuffing is bursting with savory flavors and will steal the show at your Thanksgiving dinner! It is simple to make and reheats well for leftovers.

Skillet Cornbread & Sausage Stuffing

I know the turkey is normally the star of the show at most Thanksgiving dinners, but my favorite dish is always the stuffing (or dressing, depending on what you call it in your house). Growing up, my grandma made the BEST cornbread stuffing and it was the thing that everyone gravitated to over everything else. I can’t even remember the specific ingredients that she put into it, but I decided to come up with my own after going gluten-free.

I love the heartiness of a cornbread base in Thanksgiving stuffing

. So I knew I had to use my rosemary cornbread muffins for this. It adds such great flavor and goes perfectly with the Italian sausage. I used mild Italian chicken sausage for this, but you can use any type of sausage you want. Feel free to go with a hot Italian version if you want it spicier, or even use a turkey or pork variety.

Outside of those two main ingredients, you just have the mirepoix (carrot, celery, green onion), the usual staples like garlic and S&P, and your choice of stock to mix it all together before you bake it to perfection. I love using the cast iron skillet method for this because it adds good flavor, helps it crust a bit on the bottom, and only requires one pan! Not to mention it looks so fun to serve it right from the big skillet, so your guests can just scoop it right out.

In the Thanksgiving of my dreams, this stuffing would be front and center, alongside the turkey, a maple pecan pie, sweet potato casserole, a green bean dish, and cranberry sauce to dip the turkey in! But I mean, let’s be real, turkey is optional in my opinion. We all know that Thanksgiving is all about the sides and pies!

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Skillet Cornbread & Sausage Stuffing

Ingredients

1 batch rosemary cornbread muffins *(see notes for recipe link)
1 lb mild Italian ground chicken sausage
3 stalks of celery , thinly sliced
2 carrots , diced
1 bunch green onions (whites and most of the greens) , thinly sliced
2 cloves of garlic , finely chopped
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
pinch of salt and pepper
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock

Instructions

Start by baking a batch of my rosemary cornbread muffins and let them cool slightly on a wire rack (see notes for recipe). After baking the cornbread, make sure your oven is preheated to 375 degrees.
Preheat a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil, then add in the chicken sausage, using a wooden spoon to break it up into small pieces as it cooks. Stir occasionally for 5-7 minutes, until the sausage just starts to brown.
Add the carrots, celery, green onion, and garlic to the pan with the sausage, and add a pinch of salt and pepper. Stir frequently for another 5 minutes to start to soften the vegetables. After the vegetables have softened a bit, remove the skillet from the heat.
Use your hands to break up the cornbread into small pieces (but not completely to crumbs), and add it to the skillet with the sausage mixture. Stir to combine.
Pour all of the stock over the cornbread mixture and give it another gentle stir to combine. Be gentle because we don't want to break up the cornbread too much. Smooth out the top so it is an even layer.
Tightly cover the skillet with foil and bake it for 35 minutes. Then remove the foil to uncover and bake it for another 15-20 minutes to brown the top.
Let it cool for at least 10-15 minutes, then serve it straight from the skillet.