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This cozy and comforting cornbread and Ground Beef Stuffing Recipe takes classic dressing to an entirely new level. Fresh herbs, crisp veggies, juicy beef and golden brown cornbread makes for a simple and delicious side dish for the Thanksgiving spread or any special dinner that the whole family will love.

Corn bread and ground beef stuffing in pan with serving spoon scooping into it.

Why You Will Love This Cornbread and Beef Stuffing:
Did You KNow?
Recipe Ingredients and Substitutions:
Step-By-Step Instructions:
Recipe Tips
Storage:
Other Beef Recipes:
Cornbread and Ground Beef Stuffing Recipe
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This post is sponsored by the Ohio Beef Council, all opinions are my own. Thanks for supporting beef farmers!

Stuffing is by far one of my most favorite side dishes for Thanksgiving. This beefy cornbread stuffing recipe is a whole new level of stuffing that is going to be a big hit this holiday!

Adding ground beef to a classic side makes for even more deliciousness! We LOVE all of the sides when it comes to the holiday feast, and this one is for sure a new favorite!

Bringing this delicious beefy side dish to you with my friends at Ohio Beef! Try these other sides to go with your holiday meals and more this season: Boursin Mashed Potatoes, Cheddar Gruyère Mac and Cheese, Simple Cranberry Brie Crostini, and Cheesy Bacon Green Bean Casserole.

And make sure to kick the whole meal off with this Crock Pot Turkey Breast to save space in the oven for all the sides!

Why You Will Love This Cornbread and Beef Stuffing:

A fun twist on a classic dish. Stuffing, or dressing, whatever you call it, is a classic side to the holiday spread. Sometimes having the same exact kind year after year can get old. This beefy cornbread stuffing really takes it up a notch!
Easy to prepare in advance. When it comes to holiday meals, when you are hosting, it’s nice to get some of the work done in advance. This stuffing recipe can be prepared a day ahead of time and then baked before the meal is served. That will allow you to relax a bit more on the actual holiday!
Adding beef ups the protein in this delicious dish! We all know beef makes a tasty holiday dish – but did you know a 3 oz. cooked serving of beef provides half of your recommended daily value of protein? So technically, if you add a veggie side, this dish could even be a fun main dish as well!

Did You KNow?

Today, farmers and ranchers are raising more delicious beef more sustainably than ever before. America’s beef farming industry has one of the smallest carbon footprints in the world, 10 to 50 times lower than some other nations

Recipe Ingredients and Substitutions:

cornbread: I like to make my own cornbread but you can certainly use the ready to go bread cubes from the grocery. Make this as easy for you as you can! It is imperative that the bread is dried out or stale so that the beef stuffing doesn’t turn into mush.
ground beef: while I typically love a breakfast sausage in dressing, the ease of plain ground beef is great in this recipe. However, if you can get your hands on ground beef sausage–do it! I recommend about an 85% to 90% lean ground beef in this recipe so that it doesn’t become overly greasy in the dish.
celery: classic stuffing ingredients that provides a touch of crunch. You can lighten up the amount of celery if you are not a huge fan.
onion: sweet yellow onion works well in this beef stuffing but a white onion is fine too
butter: salted or unsalted will work fine. If you use salted butter, you can decrease the amount of salt in the recipe by a bit.
fresh herbs: fresh sage, thyme and parsley make for the best stuffing–if possible use fresh over dried herbs. If you are a fan you can also add a bit of chopped rosemary as well.
garlic cloves: a touch of freshly minced garlic
eggs: large eggs are ideal. The eggs bind everything together and give it a nice fluffy texture.
broth: beef broth is what we use in this recipe for the most beefy flavor but a chicken broth or stock will work as well. Beef stock is also fine!
salt and black pepper: feel free to adjust to your liking

Planning to buy beef in advance for your holiday feast? You can freeze beef in its original packaging up to two weeks. For longer storage, wrap in heavy-duty aluminum foil or place in plastic freezer bags, removing as much air as possible.

Step-By-Step Instructions:

Baked honey cornbread in glass baking pan.

Cubed cornbread on parchment lined cookie sheet.

First, determine if you want to make your own cornbread, dry out store bought from a bakery or just use store bought cornbread cubes. If you bake it, I LOVE Krusteaz Honey Cornbread and two boxes bake perfectly in a 9×13 inch baking pan and you will have plenty.
If you are making your own cornbread, you will also need to dry it out. You can do this by cubing it (very carefully and delicately so as not to make it crumble as much) and baking it in an even layer on a baking sheet at 275°F for about 30-45 minutes, tossing regularly.
I like to leave mine out for at least 24 hours and then dry it out the rest of the way in the oven.

Ground beef browned in skillet with onion and celery and herbs on top.

Chop up your veggies and herbs.
In a large skillet, melt the butter at medium-high heat. Add the onion and celery and sauté for several minutes until the onion just starts to become translucent.
Add and brown ground beef. Once the meat is browned, shift stove to medium heat and add the chopped herbs, garlic, sea salt and pepper. Heat for about 1 minute and then remove from heat.

Beef and vegetable mixture in bowl with cornbread cubes.

Add the dried out/stale cornbread cubes to a large bowl. Add the veggie and beef mixture.
In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs and broth to combine. Pour the mixture over top of the beef and bread mixture and gently toss to evenly coat all of the ingredients.
The cornbread will crumble up a bit and that is normal, it just doesn’t hold together as well as regular bread. If you like your stuffing to have less crumbs, I suggest using the more crouton like bread cubes from the grocery.

Cornbread and beef stuffing mixture in baking pan before being cooked.

Pour mixture into a greased 9×13 inch baking pan or large casserole dish.
Bake covered for about 20 minutes and then remove aluminum foil and allow to bake another 10 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the center is set and no excess moisture is on top.
Cool for about 5 minutes before serving.

Recipe Tips

Prep this recipe a day in advance. You can prep this stuffing a day ahead of time. Get it all made and into the greased pan. Cover and refrigerate over night. Pour some extra beef broth over top before baking to moisten it up a bit.
Make your own cornbread, or grab store bought. To save time, just grab the ready to go cubes or get a couple baked loaves of cornbread. You do not have to make your own!
Make sure the cornbread is dried out before making this recipe. For best results, you want your bread very dry, almost crouton like before making this dish. This will keep it from becoming a pile of mush and have more texture in the end.
Make this recipe a meal! While this ground beef stuffing makes for a great side, you could easily shift and make it more of a beef and cornbread casserole for a fun dinner. Add some diced green and red peppers for some extra veggies, maybe a sprinkle of cheese and you have yourself a cozy and comforting meal! Serve it up with a salad and enjoy!

Storage:

Store leftover stuffing in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Before reheating, you can drizzle some more beef broth over top to moisten if up. You could also brush the top with melted butter.

To freeze, allow the stuffing to cool completely. Cover and make sure it’s airtight and in a freezer safe container. Freeze for up to 3 months.