What’s Thanksgiving Without Dressing?
In keeping with our non-traditional Twisted Thanksgiving theme (don’t miss our Turkey Wellington with Cranberry Orange Sauce), our third offering is a sweet cornbread dressing made with creamy cheeses and a little chorizo kick. I mean, what Thanksgiving is complete without dressing? I know, I know…there is a great debate over cornbread dressing versus bread dressing. But in the south cornbread is king, and in Texas chorizo reigns in many dishes…so why not dressing?
Sweet Cornbread Is Just the Right Foundation
For this recipe I made my own cornbread (mainly because our market didn’t have any made), but I have also used store bought cornbread and sweet corn muffins, and they are equally delicious! Just use what is easiest for you since this series is all about non-traditional Thanksgivings and keeping life simple.
Lightly brown your chorizo, then put it on a paper towel to drain any grease. Chorizo has a nice kick to it without being too hot or too overpowering in it’s flavor, and it goes beautifully with the sweet cornbread!
Mmmmm Cheese!
I also used two different cheeses; queso fresco and cheddar. Queso fresco is made from pure cow’s milk and not aged more than a few days, giving it a “fresh” taste. It is a soft, moist cheese that breaks into curds, and it has a light, salty and slightly tangy flavor but with more mild, milky notes. Cheddar tends to be sharper with a more sour flavor and is a wonderful contrast to the queso fresco.
Gently break up the cornbread into a large bowl. Add the cheese, chorizo, scallions and seasonings and gently toss to combine. Combine melted butter, buttermilk, and chicken broth together, then slowly add the liquid to the cornbread, a little at a time until it is moist enough to spread in the pan. You don’t want the dressing to be too wet, so you may not use all of the liquid.
Spoon the cornbread mixture into the baking dish and spread evenly. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and bake until golden brown (another 10-15 minutes). Garnish with parsley.
This dressing has the sweet note of the cornbread and the southwest flavors of the queso and the chorizo. You won’t want to stop eating it! Let me know in the comments below if you give this one a try! And if you want to see what spicy moments we come up with next, please subscribe to A Slice of Spice!
Hope you enjoy our Twisted Thanksgiving!
Michele
Cheesy Chorizo Dressing
Sweet cornbread dressing with a creamy blend of cheeses and a little chorizo kick.
Ingredients
- 10 oz chorizo (out of casing)
- 5-6 cups sweet cornbread or corn muffins - loosely crumbled
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 cup crumbled queso fresco cheese
- 3 scallions - chopped
- 1 tsp ground sage
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 stick butter - melted
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
- 3/4 cup chicken broth
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup chopped parsley - divided
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray bottom and sides of a 9x13 inch baking dish with cooking spray.
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In a small skillet, lightly brown chorizo. Drain any grease on a paper towel.
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In a large bowl gently toss cornbread, cheeses, chorizo, scallions, and seasonings, including 1/2 of the parsley.
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Mix butter, buttermilk and broth. Add liquid to cornbread a little at a time until it is moist enough to spread in the pan, but not mushy. Mix gently so you don't break up the cornbread too small. You may not use all of the liquid.
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Spread dressing into prepared pan, gently pressing down to even the top. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes. Uncover, raise the oven temperature to 400 degrees and bake until the top is golden brown, about 10-15 minutes more.
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Sprinkle remaining parsley on top for garnish.
Between the pictures and your description, my mouth is already watering. This looks so delish and my boys seem to be big fans of chorizo. Going to have to try this out.
If you get a chance to try it let me know how they like it!
This looks amazing. I need to try this. I love cornbread. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you Kathy! I think you will love it!
That looks like a great dish anytime of the year!
Absolutely!
Looks good! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you Rosanna.
These sound delicious! Sometimes Thanksgiving Dinner needs a little more pep! This sounds like a great idea!
Thank you Jennifer! Pep is good!
Omg, with the right products I can make this gluten free!!! I had to skip the stuffing this year because all I was thinking of was regular bread, and I didn’t want to spend $15 just on GF bread for stuffing!!!
Oh wow! Great idea. If you try it give me a shout and let me know how it turns out!
Great photos! This looks so good!
Thank you Nicki!
Great food ideas!
Thank you Lauta!
I don’t really love cornbread, but this cheesy chorizo dressing looks delicious!
It is delish!
Yummy! I’m definitely pinning this!
Thank you Flor!
I had commented on your FB the other day that this looks delicious. My “lottery”‘ wish is when I have all the time in the world (and money) I can have someone make all these recipes I find for me..haha! Thanks for the recipe
Thank you Nikki! Good luck with the lottery! 🙂
Yum! Your pictures are mouthwatering!
Oh, thank you Jocelyn!
Oh yum! This is right up my alley, pinning too! Thank you! 🙂
Thank you Angela!
This looks so good! And unique!
Thank you Katie. It was a great twist!
Well, this sounds delightful! I missed it for Thanksgiving but Christmas is right around the corner so I might have to try it then!
Yes! Give it a try and come back and let me know how you liked it!
Yum! Love the pictures.
Thank you Karie!
Looks amazing!
Thank you Tricia!
I love your pictures! I can’t wait to try this!
Thank you Loni!
Looks very good
Thanks Janice.
Yum looks great! Wish I’d seen this before Thanksgiving! Have to try it another time! Thanks for the recipe!
Thanks Laura. It was really good with chicken as well!
Sounds wonderful! A nice twist on Thanksgiving dinner!
Thanks Robin!
This sounds really interesting. I’m not a huge sausage fan, but I might have to try this, it looks good.
It really is good…the chorizo kind of melts into the other ingredients so you don’t get a lot of chunkiness.