Cornbread Dressing

Directions

For Cornbread:

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F and grease an 8-inch square baking dish using nonstick cooking spray.
2. Whisk together the milk, egg, butter, and honey in a bowl.
3. Stir together the cornmeal, flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and sugar in another bowl.
4. Combine the two mixtures, stirring just until thoroughly blended. Do not overmix.
5. Spread the batter evenly into the baking dish and bake for 22–24 minutes.
6. Remove the bread from the oven and let cool.
7. Crumble the cooled cornbread into a large mixing bowl and set aside.

For Dressing:

8. Pour the oil into a medium-size saucepan set over medium-high heat.
9. Add the celery, bell pepper, and onion to the hot oil.
10. Sauté the vegetables for about 5 minutes until they are soft.
11. Add the ground meat and cook, breaking up the meat, until it is browned.
12. Add the chicken broth and season to taste with salt and pepper.
13. Cover the pot, reduce heat, and simmer for about 30 minutes before removing from the heat.
14. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
15. Add half of the crumbled cornbread to the mixture and stir well. Ideally, there should be about the same amount of cornbread as meat.
16. Add more cornbread if needed.
17. Spread the mixture into a 9 x 13-inch baking dish, cover with foil, and bake for about 20 minutes until heated through.
18. Remove foil and bake for 10–15 minutes until the top is crispy.
19. Remove dressing from oven and serve hot.