Cornbread Stuffing with Pancetta and Sundried Tomatoes

 This Cornbread Stuffing puts a twist on the traditional by adding crispy pancetta and tangy sun-dried tomatoes for a delicious Thanksgiving side dish!

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Thanksgiving can be a bit daunting.....so much planning, so much cooking. So much mess....... and so much that can potentially go wrong! 

I still remember the first time I made Thanksgiving dinner on my own. It was my senior year of college and I was on a ski trip with some friends. I'd watched my grandmother cook turkey and all the trimmings many, many times but I'd never actually done it myself. It didn't seem all that hard -  prepare the bird and then put the turkey in the oven for the appropriate number of hours. Needless to say, it turned out it was harder than it looked. I'll spare you the details but let's just say that was my first experience with a significant kitchen mishap!

While I've cooked many turkeys, without incident since then, I actually prefer making the side sides! Side dishes give you the ability to be creative and try new things each year though I do stick with a few modified staples I make over and over again. Having some unique versions of traditional side dishes makes for a much more interesting Thanksgiving dinner!

I came across the original recipe for this stuffing in Sunset Magazine many, many years ago. As soon as I read the ingredients....cornbread, pancetta, sundried tomatoes, I immediately knew it would be a winner! I've modified it a bit since to add more flavor and make it a little less complex to prepare.

Contents:

• Why You'll Love this Stuffing
• Ingredient Notes
• Tips for the best stuffing
• Step-by-step instructions for making cornbread stuffing (dressing)
• Make Ahead Tip
• Frequently asked questions
• Tools you'll want for this recipe
• More Thanksgiving side dishes
• Sundried Tomato Pancetta Cornbread Stuffing

Why You'll Love this Stuffing

This stuffing is a great staple Thanksgiving side dish that's easy to make but much more interesting than your average stuffing. Let's face it, stuffing can be pretty boring....bread, celery, chicken broth, sausage....sound familiar? This cornbread stuffing with pancetta and sun-dried tomatoes is definitely not boring!

Whether you are cooking for two or twenty, putting together a small collection of side dishes you can make year after year will help to simplify your Thanksgiving and take at least some of the stress out of the day. Perfecting those dishes and making them your own will leave people asking you for the recipes and you'll look like a rock-star chef!!

Are you ready for the ultimate Thanksgiving side dish? This unique stuffing is just the thing to add to your Turkey Day menu! Read on to learn more about how to make this Cornbread Stuffing, or jump straight to the recipe to start cooking!

Ingredient Notes

The full list of ingredients and quantities can be found in the recipe card below.

Don't let the longish list of ingredients intimidate you - while it does have a few steps, this recipe is not overly complicated to make. To make this stuffing you'll need:

• Cornbread mix: Along with milk and eggs, to make the cornbread.
• Pancetta: I prefer to use thinly sliced pancetta for this recipe. Since it's thin, it crisps up nicely. You can also use chopped (cubed) pancetta.
• Produce: yellow onion, celery, Italian parsley, garlic
• Sun-dried tomatoes: You'll want the kind packed in oil. The oil keeps them from drying out when you cook the stuffing.
• Chicken broth: Low-sodium broth is preferred for this recipe.
• Water chestnuts: If you buy the pre-sliced kind you'll save a little bit of prep time. You need one can.
• Butter: You'll want the unsalted version.
• Spices: dried basil, rosemary, sage, thyme, salt, and ground pepper

Tips for the best stuffing

With everything you might be thinking about prepping for Thanksgiving, here are a few tips to ensure making this recipe goes smoothly.

• Do some prep work: Make the cornbread a day or two in advance. It won't crumble as much as when it's fresh so you get a better texture in your stuffing.
• Plan enough time: You need to allow about 2 hours total time which includes baking the cornbread, letting it cool and preparing and baking the stuffing.
• Make it in advance: Since the flavors come together nicely when it sits overnight, this is an ideal dish to prep the day before Thanksgiving.

Step-by-step instructions for making cornbread stuffing (dressing)

There are a couple of key steps to making stuffing. The full printable recipe card is below, but let’s walk through it so you understand each step before you get started.

Step 1 | Make the cornbread: Ideally, you want the cornbread to be a bit on the dry side so it doesn't fall apart when you are mixing it with the other ingredients. If you forget to make it the day before, no worries just mix any crumbs into the stuffing with the other ingredients. I use a half-sheet pan to make the cornbread.

Step 2 | Toast the cornbread: Even if the cornbread is a day old, still take the time to toast it before mixing it with the other ingredients. This helps it to absorb some of the liquid ingredients so you'll get better consistency in your stuffing.

Step 3 | Sauté the veggies: Even though the veggies continue to cook when you bake the stuffing, sautéing them adds extra flavor.

Step 4 | Mix well before baking: To keep dishes to a minimum, you can slice up the cornbread in the sheet pan and then mix all of the ingredients right in the same pan. The more evenly distributed all the ingredients are, the better your stuffing will taste

Step 5 | Add chicken broth slowly: How much chicken broth you use in your stuffing depends on the consistency you prefer. Add more broth for a creamy, moist stuffing. Use less if you prefer it a bit more crunchy.  

Step 6 | Spoon into a baking dish and bake. Spoon or pour all of the stuffing into a large 9x13 baking dish and bake at 250°F for 20 minutes.

Frequently asked questions

Tools you'll want for this recipe

Rimmed Baking Sheet  –  A rimmed baking sheet, or half sheet pan, is a cookie sheet with sides. A half sheet, which is the ideal size for this recipe, measures approximately 18x13. It's great to have several of these in your kitchen for various baking tasks, including making cookies.

Large baking dish - You'll need a 9x13-inch baking dish for this recipe. I like to use a nicer dish so you can serve the stuffing from the same dish you bake it in. I particularly like this one from Crate & Barrel as you can put the hot dish directly into the wire rack and take it straight to the table.

More Thanksgiving side dishes

If you are looking for additional side dishes to add to your Thanksgiving table, check out these reader favorites.

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This post was originally published in November 2016. It was updated in November 2023 with some new information and photos. No changes were made to the original recipe.