Easy Unstuffed Cornbread Stuffing

When I was first married, I wanted to impress my husband with my talent in the kitchen. On our first Thanksgiving as a married couple, I decided to go all out with the Turkey, sweet potatoes, vegetable casserole - the works!

There was only one problem. I was a not a "stuffing" fan. But I knew that stuffing was one of my husband's favorite parts of the meal. I needed to come up with something easy that the both of us could enjoy not only with our Thanksgiving meal, but also with the requisite Thanksgiving left overs. It need to look good, taste good and fit well with our meal.

Then inspiration hit...and Easy Unstuffed Cornbread Stuffing was born.

The combination of ingredients was a little different than my husband was used to. But, being the good husband that he is, he tried it. He liked it! It has been a staple at our Thanksgiving dinners ever since.

You can make Easy Unstuffed Cornbread Stuffing to by using the ingredients and directions below. Enjoy!

Easy Unstuffed Cornbread Stuffing
Ingredients:
1 12 oz. box or bag of stuffing croutons
1 box store-bought cornbread mix prepared according to directions
1 cup chopped onions
1 cup chopped celery
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup white zinfindel or white wine
2 cups chicken stock (fresh or from the can)
1/2 cup melted butter
salt and pepper to taste
Serves 12-14

Directions:

The night before the dish is to be served, prepare the cornbread according to the directions on the box. Leave the prepared recipe on the counter uncovered until you are ready to use it the next day.

The day the dish is to be served, crumble the cornbread mix into a large bowl. Add the stuffing croutons to the crumbled cornbread and set aside. Melt 1/2 cup of butter in a large saute pan over medium heat. Once melted, add the onions, garlic and celery to the pan and cook while stirring until the onions are translucent. Remove the mixture from the heat and allow it to cool slightly. Once the mixture has cooled some (not too hot to handle), pour it over the cornbread and croutons. Mix the ingredients until well combined. Pour the 2 cups of chicken stock and the 1/2 white zinfindel/wine over the mixture and stir until evenly moist. Add salt and pepper to your preferred taste.

Pour the entire contents into a large aluminum or glass baking dish and cover the top. Bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove the cover and continue to bake for an additional 15 minutes or until the top of the stuffing is toasty. Serve directly from the baking dish or transfer to a serving dish, garnishing the finished recipe with parsley.

This is an easy Thanksgiving recipe to make. As you get more comfortable making it, you can add variations, such as cranberries or sausage to the recipe. Enjoy!