Holiday Recipes: Grandmother Paul's Southern Cornbread Dressing Recipe 

Eddie is so good with Paula. Never loses his patience, and always speaks with kindness. Good man Eddie.

I never liked dressing that my family made. I went to Thanksgiving dinner at my new in-laws and my mother in law had cornbread dressing. (She was a Texan). I reluctantly tried it and instantly changed my mind about dressing. I have used her recipe for 50 years now and my kids still request it.

Thank you Paula for the recipe. I'm a black woman from NJ and my family is from Georgia and my Grandma used to make the best dressing from scratch she's passed on now and I loved her dressing and watching you make this made me so happy with the best memories of her cooking. To me Georgia women are the best cooks. Happy Thanksgiving and many blessings to you and yours. I'm making this for my Thanksgiving this year.

sage is optional?! sage is like the most important ingredient. i keep sage in the garden just for thanksgiving cooking. fresh sage makes all the difference, it's so good!

One thing that I absolutely adore about Paula's cooking is that she scrapes every last bit out of her bowls! It drives me nuts when TV cooks leave a bunch of whatever in the bowls lol

Paula I need to let you know watching & listening to you has made me happy with being a 79 yr old lady with white hair same color as yours . For the first time in a few years I’m happy with being me Thanks To You.❤️

Thank you Paula for saying "no sugar" in your cornbread! My mom would've had a fit if I ever would've put sugar in. She said the same thing you did about it being cake instead if cornbread.

Reminds me of mine. My recipe is just like this from my Kentucky great great grandmother. I do use a Tbsp of sage, because we love it. After my Mom died, for about 5 years, I’d cry when making it. My Mom did too because of the chain of memories. Mom broke her arm one year, and I made it and she wrote it down. So many memories making dressing!

Bake it in the iron skillet and you’ll have a great crust on the bottom too.

Tell em Paula don't use jiffy for your dressing.☝🏾☝🏾☝🏾☝🏾☝🏾☝🏾

Oh how I wish I could spend Thanksgiving with Mrs. Paula and her family with all that yummy food, I would probably eat so much I would have to roll myself home lol.

The largest component of poultry seasoning is SAGE along with marjoram, thyme, nutmeg and black pepper. That was per Mc Cormick's.

Your dressing looked like the dressing I have been eating all of my life. Now I am so missing all those who have gone before me. Thank you Paula for this tender loving feeling on this cool November morning, as I remember Thanksgivings of long ago.

Eddie’s personality is so comforting and sweet

Sage, sage and more sage!!! You can’t add enough for me. Love it❤️❤️My grandmother never added alot of it to her dressing and unbeknownst to her, my grandfather & I would add more everytime we walked through the kitchen when she was cooking and when she wasn’t looking😜

My mom uses Better Than Bullion too when she makes her homemade stuffing. It's good stuff

No offense to my northern friends. But I was away from home one year for Thanksgiving and this nice family invited me over for dinner. The lady of the house fixed everyone's plate for them. You didn't have a choice. But I'll never forget she put 2 types of dressing on my plate. One with cranberries and pecans and another with oysters. I was raised you eat what's on your plate and you don't complain. I didn't think I was gonna make it through that dinner lol. I made myself eat it but I was so sick. I appreciated her having me into her home and I would have never been rude. But Lord have mercy. It wasn't good.

Cornbread dressing is the best part of Thanksgiving! This is how my great-grandmother used to make hers. 🙌

Sage is a huge must!!! Lol.

My Mama always set aside a small bowl of dressing but it was not for gravy it was for me because I loved it uncooked. It was our very own special tradition. Her dressing was almost exactly like yours. I was her rainbow baby. I was devoted to her and miss her terribly.

I can't imagine sage not making an appearance in a turkey dinner. 😁 UPDATE: After all the replies I realize that I am being misunderstood. I LOVE sage. I use it all the time in various foods. 🙂👍

Good Morning Y'all...I'm late slept in 😏. I am so ready to fill my mouth with some dressing. Oh me ...My favorite part of Thanksgiving is the dressing yum😋. Wonderful recipe Paula Thank you for this . Paula , Eddie, Teresa love you guys bunches have a beautiful Saturday kisses from Alabama. All my beautiful friends on here... have a marvelous weekend sending love to you all 🥰♥️😘

I love sage in my dressing,only use sage....a lot of Canadians prefer summer savoury

Dressing is my favorite part of the meal. I used to buy stock in a box for years & a few years ago I bought the base in the jar, same that you are using. Got it at Costco. Their jars are huge & they last a long time in the refrigerator. The box is good too but you have to watch the expiration date. The grocery stores sell them too but much smaller. In fact, now that I'm talking about it, I need more of the beef. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Made my dressing just like this for 40 years and it is always perfect. However, a couple of years ago a friend suggested I put a cup of fresh chopped parsley in the mixture. It has an amazing taste and such a beautiful added color. Goes to show you can always improve on a classic.

I make my dressing on the side not in my Turkey. Yes Paula corn bread dressing in the south. Gobble gobble gobble 😁🦃♥️

Midwestern girl here...was raised on my mother’s Chestnut stuffing. I remember many years of baking a zillion chestnuts and then peeling them open. She would still stuff the turkey, but this was back in the day, and used all white bread, eggs, chicken broth, celery, onions, etc. It was the best ever, and she made a fantastic gravy from the turkey. I learned all my cooking skills from my mother (and now youtube). She passed in 1993, but I still make her dishes every year. I’m married to a Southerner, so he’s used to cornbread stuffing, but loves my mom’s chestnut stuffing. These times bring up so many happy memories. P.S. Better than Bouillon is amazing, love it!!!! Edited to add: of course my mom’s stuffing involves a LOT of butter 😊

Lol. I wouldn't make dressing if I didn't have sage. Love sage.

“No butt shots Eddie “ I ❤️you Paula and I’m going to try this but add the cream of celery soup as well!

I’m embarrassed to admit I use Stove Top stuffing, but I add a bunch of other stuff to it, so when others say how delicious it is, and ask if it’s homemade, I say YES! 🤭 I’m from the South so I always buy the cornbread version. My secret!

This is the closest to my Nana's recipe thank you. She passed at 97 without writing down her recipe but she did let me cook along side of her and this seems right on. This is a true gift. Many Blessing to you

@Paula Dean.. I only have a couple of years left to live unfortunately due to many health issues but I will say this. I added having dinner with you to my bucket list. I have watched you for longer than I can remember. Being able to cook and eat with you is my dream! Thank you for being you and for bringing us all of these amazing recipes.

Have made this recipe of Ms Paula's for the last 4 years....tastes just like my Mama used to make....except, like Aunt Peggy, I omit the sage and add 1 can of cream of chicken and 1 can cream of celery soup to the mixture before putting in the oven....yummy!!!!! It also freezes well, if you put it cooled and uncooked into ziplock freezer bags...

Paula, I made this recipe on Sunday, Lord help me, but I can’t stop eating it! Thank you for sharing your grandma Paul’s recipe with us💜

Hi Paula i’m 62 and my grandmother was from Georgia, I grew up in California and no one ever wrote down her southern cornbread dressing recipe and I remember my family trying to re-create it but now I’m glad to see this video so thank you very very much because I’m sure this will be very close if not the same❤Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Paula you are such a good cook, I've learned so much from you over the years. Thank you for giving your knowledge, humor, and southern love to all of us. God bless you

UPDATE: It was a total hit!!! Made this for tonight's Friendsgiving I was invited to and this was my very first time making dressing! Everyone loved it! My friend's husband told me that he never eats dressing but this dressing he said was delicious! Thank you Paula Deen!!!!! 😊 ❤ I have never made dressing. I've always used stove top stuffing from a box. I was invited to a friendsgiving potluck, which is tomorrow and was asked to bring dressing. So I was like oh no! Lol 😆 luckily I came across your recipee! So I went to the grocery store and bought all the ingredients. So I put the bread in the oven tonight for 30 minutes at 250 degrees and is too toasty compared to yours in the video it looks soft, I'm going to toss it and try again tomorrow....this time I will check on it every 5 minutes! I will let you know how it turns out! Can't wait! Thanks for sharing your recipe! 🙂

This is the one Thanksgiving side dish that I just haven't perfected. I'm going to try yours this year. Thanks Paula!!

I truly believe you're going to be much better on RU-vid then anywhere. I wish you nothing but the best. Thank you for the entertainment and the recipes..

Paula, I’ve made your southern cornbread dressing every year for probably the last 10 years or so. It is delicious and actually freezes very well. The last few years that’s what I’ve done. Excellent recipe!

Damn! I was born in the wrong part of the world! Southern cooking looks so delicious and amazing.

My great grandma has the best dressing recipe, it uses a pan of cornbread, a tray of biscuits, and a little herb stuffing mix. I love these videos paula, you have really brightened my day lately.

I've made dressing for 35 years ,from my mom and grandmother southern recipe started with great grandmother, we use cornbread and sleeves of saltines also sometimes little leftover biscuits, but always sage very little if any poultry seasoning 😘 and all 156 family members even outlaws 😅 love it HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Paula Deen. I wrote to you before and told you this. , but since this recipe came up. , I decided to tell you the whole story. My mothe was a great cook. , like you. But unlike you. , she would never give any one a recipe. She never taught my sister and. I. any thing about cooking. Long story short. My whole life. , we had Thanksgiving dinner with mama and daddy. Mama passed away when I was 46 years old. , and it was left up to me to cook thanks giving dinner for all of my family. I had tried many dressing recipes. , but none of them would had pleased my father. I bought a series of paulas home cooking. , and your southern cornbread dressing was on one of your videos in that series. Lord and behold. , I cooked it. , and there was Mama's Dressing.!!!!!!! Daddy loved it. , that was the most important to me. You have no idea how grateful I was for that recipe. Still am. Thank you so much for that recipe. It saved thanks giving for me. , and many thankgivings since. God bless you sweet girl. , and many more thanks. 💙💚💛🧡❤

I'm glad to see this is so easy. Most cooks put all kinds of junk in their dressing. Thank you Paula, Eddie.

I never stopped stuffing my turkeys & always have a dish of it as dressing baked in a dish too. Have never had anyone get ill in 40 years from stuffing from inside the turkey either. "Experts". 😏 Oh, and I always use sage - and use fresh sage under the skin with butter too. Yummy stuff! 🌿🌿🌿🌿

I think I’m as Southern as you are‼️ Bless my mother and grandmother for teaching me♥️🥰

Oh, Paula, I just love your videos. I can only imagine what a pure joy it would be just to be able to spend a day with you, and watch you cook!

"Better than Boulion" is far less salty too. You get a strong flavor without the salt. They have turkey base, look online, they have about 10 flavors. Edit: for Thanksgiving, my dressing has to have turkey stock.

Absolutely love Mrs.Paula! And I also use better than Bullion. It's fabulous and makes life and food much better.

I just made this for our Christmas dinner tonight cause we didn’t get dressing at our dinner yesterday and had my daughter try it cause she’s never eaten dressing. She loved it and wants me to make it more tomorrow lol!!! I said we have leftovers!! Thank you for the recipe Mrs. Paula it’ll now be a staple in our household.

The wonderful thing about southern cornbread dressing is once you learn the basics, you can tweak it however you wish! I’ve watched several versions, all great! ☺️❤️

This took me back to watching my Mom make her dressing."..had a tear or two! Thanks for the video!

We absolutely love sage in our dressing and stuffing. We love it so much my mom uses fresh and dry.

Yummy! This is the dressing that my grandmama made for us every holiday. So so good! Thank you for sharing Miss Paula, love and best dishes to you girl. ❤

Paula I just want to say that I have watched a couple of your episodes on prime and, I never get bored, I truly enjoy watching you and have bought almost every cookbook you have created, and you have inspired me in many ways and just want to say you truly are a God Sent many thanks during theses holidays coming up and Blessings to you and your family ❤️

My Macon Georgia roots tell me, Sage, lots of Sage!

The salt came from your crackers, poultry seasoning, & the bouillon. As a person with HB pressure, my salt intake is paramount to me. My body doesn't get rid of salt/tolerate it well, I have NOT added salt to my food since 1974. Love your recipes. God bless & be safe. ❤🙏

I have always made your dressing recipe at holidays and it's always a hit! Love you Paula Dean!

thank you Paula you cook just like my grandparents i appreciate you sharing these recipes with us i am making this , this year for thanksgiving and Christmas !

This is just like my granny use to make it but she added boiled eggs to it too lol miss her so much

You can freeze this with all the ingredients. Freezing eggs is completely safe. Then take it out put in the oven frozen to cook.

I needed a southern mama to help me. I've followed you forever.. Always stood by you. I needed you my Sister. God Bless..

Please please Paula, I made scallop potatoes that everyone of my seven adult children and their husbands and wives and all 5 of my grand children loved everyone absolutely loved it. Later in the year I wanted to make them again and couldn’t find the recipe. I’m praying you can help me and give me your special spectacular OMG!! delicious scallop potatoes. I remember that I used bacon and cabbage as a layer under the potatoes. It made two layers. I pray you can help me 🙏🏻🙏🏻 I wish you and your beautiful family healthy, happy double double happy, safe, and peaceful joyous holidays!! Respectfully Teresa

This makes me want to try dressing. Thank you for letting use know about the product you used to make the stock. I've seen it advertised but wasn't sure about it.

My Dad called the sweet yellow cornbread, "City cornbread". Lol

Thanks Paula! My mother would always bake her cornbread the day before Thanksgiving and Christmas and then crumble it up. The the next day, Thanksgiving and Christmas she would always have Biscuits and Gravy for breakfast. She would always make more biscuits than we ate so she could put the leftover biscuits in the Dressing. She never used plain bread. She had celery & onions like you made it in her dressing, only we love sage!! We have always used more sage than you do, but that’s just what we prefer! I still make it the way my Mother always made it!! Makes my mouth water just thinking about it!! Just one week away now!! YAY!! HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL!! NORMA COLLINS FROM TEXAS

I just wanted to say I made Paula’s dressing and it was yummy! I usually add more sage, but it was delicious! Oh yes I added leeks to the mix. Thank you!

Paula is on her A game this morning. Strong and healthy

I make my dressing at least a week ahead of time and freeze it until the day of. And I use probably a half container of sage for a 9x13 pan. We love it very flavorful. Mine is also as wet or wetter before cooking. I guess it’s all in what you’re used to. 🙂

My late Grandmother Dot/Micro-Dot as we called her…would make Squash Casserole for Thanksgiving….I’ve never made it but I always liked her’s. She was from and lived in Chattanooga Tennessee….👍👍👍…I miss her…🙏💖🙏💖🙏🥰🥰🥰

The first time I attempted to make cornbread dressing it was yours Mrs. Paula and years later I still like watching you do it!! Thank you!! Happy Blessed Thanksgiving!

Yay Paula! I love really moist dressing and I’ve only loved the southern style type!!!😍🥰😋🤓💖💛💜❣️💕

The eggs are the reason it goes rancid. If you leave out the eggs it will keep for up to three days in the fridge before baking, and it was still wonderful! I haven't tried any longer than that. Also, you can still stuff your Turkey with the dressing as long as you leave out the eggs! I never put eggs in mine anymore and it takes nothing away from the amazing flavor.

I’m was born in Georgia but make my dressing with hamburger buns, onions, green onions, celery, black chopped olives pecans and butter along with sage, poultry seasoning and hickory smoked salt! It truly is delicious l! That looks like soup!

Enjoy watching you cook Paula, your such a joy. I am a southern gal to from Louisiana. Blessings !!! ✝️💟

I always make my cornbread couple of days ahead of time. Assemble the night before and never stuff the turkey, always baked on the side! Love sausage cornbread stuffing!

Looking good Paula! I love her realness.

Thank you for all these video’s! Love you Paula❤️ your dressing is just like my Momna’s! Happy Thanksgiving 🦃🍁🍽

When I grew up in Michigan we made sausage and mushroom stuffing. Some went in the bird, the rest in a casserole. Then it was mixed and baked. Never ever got ill.

Yum!!! I haven’t had bread stuffing in years. I make a vegetarian stuffing with purple turnips and butternut squash etc. it is very good and my bread lovers enjoy it very much. Thank you Paula for doing a Thanksgiving dish a day video. If helps me get excited about the holiday during this pandemic climate. Here in NY our gov it not making it easy for us to enjoy. Love to you!

I love your time and recipes here Ms Paula. Get Eddie or Theresa to hold up a little hand washing sign every time you touch your nose or face or edit out tasting from the spoon. This will help keep the negative Nelly's at bay. Much love for ya in our little piece of Texas ma'am

My mama saved hamburger buns, heels of bread and pieces of cornbread for a month in the freezer before Thanksgiving. I remember her putting all those leftover breads on a cookie sheet and toasting them in the oven Thanksgiving morning.

My mom made oyster and bread dressing for years and I loved it... Then she moved south with my stepdad and it became cornbread dressing... I still miss the oyster dressing that my dad loved, but now we only have the cornbread style .. My daughter is making it this year. Can't wait!

Lol- sage was mandatory in my Memaw’s dressing!!

Goodmorning mrs. Paula stuffing us my favorite im going to try yours grandmas this Thanksgiving .love your videos from texas

I'm from Nebr. Now live in Texas. We don't do fruit & nuts ! Maybe that's a Yankee thing on east coast. We do corn bread, dried bread, celery, onion . I do add Jimmy Dean breakfast sausage (hot). It is so flavorful. Mix it all of course chicken broth, eggs etc.and bake. HAPPY 2020 THANKSGIVING YOU GUYS❣

Love these Thanksgiving recipes. Thank you!

Good stuff right there, looks like what I’ve eaten most of my life 😋

I love watching dressing recipes. I’m over here saying, your going to need more stock 😂 like I’m there with you ❤️

Yours is almost exactly like my momma’s, except my momma baked her onions and celery in the cornbread. These Thanksgiving recipes are getting me even more excited for the holiday. We’re planning a wonderful family get-together, but I’m afraid COVID may nix it, so disappointing to think about, but still hoping for the best.⚡️💖⚡️

Paula’s looks delicious. I used my Grandmother’s which is the original recipe from the Butterball booklet/directions that came with the turkey 40 yrs ago. I use my homemade stock. Its awesome too. 💕💕

i've had different dressings that my family makes and some of them are really awful lol. i invented my own and it's AMAZING, and it's partly to do with paula's recipe and then me just making it my own

As always, Paula is the best! Her dressing is just divine!!!!

I love cornbread dressing and bread dressing. My grandma used to fix 2 pans of dressing, 1 plain and 1 with oysters for my dad.

Oh Thank you Paula! This dressing looks so good! I love your cooking videos! GOD bless you & Your precious family.. Love Peggy from the Mississippi Gulf Coast!

Will you do a Holliday cookbook? If you do please a the peanut butter pie & chocolate chip pie

Ive never had a cornbread dressing. I grew up on bread, and sausage, olive, stuffing in the north. Mine is good but Id love to try your southern dressing as well. Love you Paula, Eddie, and Theresa! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

I just love hearing your warm voice in my kitchen, while I’m making something 🙂

I have wanted my mom's Thanksgiving dressing for so long. Unfortunately I lost her 20 years ago. Because she never wrote her recipes down and she died at 49yrs old I have not gotten it right. I was going to make oyster dressing for myself and Hubby doesn't like it I am gonna use yours! Make a lot less, (For 2)split your dressing in half and make his traditional dressing and add oysters and a few more seasonings to mine! Life saver!