Spicy Cajun Cornbread Dressing

stuffing with red peppers and cilantro in a baking dish

Spicy Cajun Cornbread Dressing

Spicy andouille sausage, juicy shrimp and chewy bread cubes and sweet cornbread make this spicy Cajun Cornbread Dressing recipe a total hit for the holidays!

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American, Cajun/Creole, Holiday

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 1

Total Time 1 20

Servings servings

Calories 540kcal

Author Danielle Wolter

Ingredients

3 cups cornbread
3 cups white bread
6 tablespoons butter
6 ounces andouille sausage diced
1 ½ cups shrimp diced
½ onion diced
1 red pepper diced
1 can diced tomatoes rinsed
4 garlic cloves minced
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1-2 cups chicken stock

Instructions

Cut the French bread into 1" cubes and arrange on a baking sheet. Toast in a 300F degree oven for 20 minutes, until browned and crisp around the edges.
While the bread is crisping, crumble the cornbread into 1 inch chunks in a large bowl.
Turn the oven up to 350F degrees.
Add the toasted bread cubes and crumbled cornbread to a large bowl and mix to combine.
Heat a skillet over medium high heat and brown the andouille sausage. Remove and set the sausage aside.
Heat the butter in a skillet over medium heat and add the onions, garlic and red pepper and cook until they are softened, about 2-3 minutes.
Add the andouille sausage and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and seasoning and cook for 1-2 minutes.
Add the shrimp and cook until they turn pink.
Remove from heat and toss with the bread mixture. Be careful not to over-mix or your stuffing might be mushy.
Slowly add chicken broth until the stuffing is dampened, but not too wet. You may or may not need all the broth.
Pour the mixture into a greased baking dish and bake, covered, for 45 minutes.
Remove the cover and bake an additional 15 minutes, until browned on top.

Notes

It is important to toast the bread cubes instead of using stale bread cubes. Stale bread cubes will soak up too much liquid and you'll end up with soggy stuffing.
Any kind of cornbread is fine to use. You can even make your own cornbread and use it.
You can substitute any smoked sausage for the Andouille sausage.
When mixing the sausage mixture in with the bread cubes, be careful to toss gently. Over-mixing will break down the bread cubes and you'll end up with mushy stuffing.
We initially bake it covered to prevent the stuffing from drying out. Removing the cover for the last 15-20 minutes allows the bread cubes to toast slightly for a chewy browned texture on top (which is amazing by the way).
To make ahead of time, you can prepare the stuffing in the baking dish and refrigerate overnight. Bake it the next day according to these instructions.
Stuffing can be frozen before or after baking it. Be sure to use an airtight container, or wrap in freezer safe plastic wrap, then again in foil. If it's frozen before baking, let it thaw out in the fridge, then bake according to the instructions above. If it is already baked, thaw it in the fridge and bake at 350 degrees until it is warmed through, about 15-20 minutes.

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