Cornbread Stuffing With Esquites
Updated November 20, 2024
Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini.
- Total Time
- 2 hours 35 minutes
- Prep Time
- 30 minutes
- Cook Time
- 2 hours 5 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
3 pounds cornbread (store-bought or homemade), cut into small (about ¾-inch) pieces, 14 to 16 cups
1 pound fresh chorizo, casings removed if needed
¾ cup unsalted butter (12 tablespoons), plus more for the pan, softened, if needed
2 large yellow onions, chopped
3 large poblano chiles, stemmed, seeded and chopped (12 to 14 ounces)
1 to 3 jalapeños, stemmed and chopped
5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 pounds frozen (thawed) corn kernels (about 6 cups)
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh sage (or 1 ½ teaspoons dried sage)
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme (or 1 teaspoon dried thyme)
4 teaspoons kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal) or 2 ½ teaspoons fine salt
3 large eggs, beaten to blend
4 cups turkey stock or low-sodium chicken broth
⅓ cup mayonnaise (or more butter, softened), for the pan
1 cup crema or crème fraîche (or sour cream thinned with 2 to 3 tablespoons milk), cold
1 cup crumbled queso fresco (4 ounces)
Chopped chile de árbol, red pepper flakes or hot paprika, for serving
Nutritional analysis per serving (10 to 12 servings)
79 grams carbs; 169 milligrams cholesterol; 778 calories; 13 grams monosaturated fat; 10 grams polyunsaturated fat; 17 grams saturated fat; 43 grams fat; 3 grams fiber; 1298 milligrams sodium; 22 grams protein; 7 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Heat oven to 325 degrees. Divide the cornbread evenly between 2 large rimmed baking sheets and bake, tossing once, until dried out and lightly browned around the edges, 40 to 50 minutes. Let cool at least 10 minutes. Increase oven temperature to 350 degrees.
- Step 2
Meanwhile, cook the chorizo in a large deep skillet over medium-high heat, stirring and breaking up any large clumps with a spoon, until lightly browned and just cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to a plate, leaving the fat behind.
- Step 3
Adjust heat to medium and melt the butter in the same skillet. Add the onions, poblano chiles, jalapeños and garlic, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened but not browned, 11 to 15 minutes. Add the corn, sage, thyme and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are very tender and most of the liquid has evaporated, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat.
- Step 4
Reserve half of the corn mixture for serving. Combine the cornbread, chorizo, and remaining half of the corn mixture in a very large bowl. Whisk the eggs and turkey stock in a medium bowl until very well combined. Pour stock mixture over the cornbread mixture and let sit, gently stirring every minute or so, until cornbread has absorbed all or most of the liquid.
- Step 5
Grease a 3-quart or 9-by-13-inch baking dish with the mayonnaise (or butter if using); this will prevent the dressing from sticking and will also give a crisp, tangy flavor to the crust around the dressing, similar to a mayo-grilled cheese sandwich.
- Step 6
Transfer dressing to prepared dish and tap dish lightly against counter to distribute and compact the dressing. Cover with aluminum foil and bake until dressing is very hot throughout and bubbles appear around sides, 40 to 45 minutes. Increase oven temperature to 425 degrees and remove foil. Continue to bake dressing until top is lightly browned, 15 to 20 minutes longer.
- Step 7
Just before serving, top warm dressing with reserved corn mixture, drizzle crema over the top and sprinkle with queso fresco and chile de árbol.
The dressing can be baked at 350 degrees up to 3 days ahead. Let cool, then chill. Reheat in a 350-degree oven before increasing temperature to 425 degrees and removing foil. Top with warmed corn mixture, cold crema, queso fresco and chile de árbol.
Private Notes
Comments
I have made cornbread stuffing with epazote herb and chorizo. The key here will be to find fresh-made chorizo from a Mexican or Latino meat market, and not cheap packaged stuff from factory. Take my word for it.
How long do you think it would take to reheat this at 350 as noted if I made in advance?
This is a bit of a tight squeeze in a 9X13. I ended up putting 2/3rds in the 9X13 and 1/3rd in an 8X8 to freeze for later.
Very good; chorizo and homemade cornbread make this dish. Made 1/3 recipe for 6 people and it was more than enough. Probably should have baked in an 8x8 pan, instead of 9x13, and given it a few minutes less at 425. Didn’t use the corn and didn’t miss it, but should have done the cream and the red pepper flakes at the end.
I made this for Thanksgiving this year. It was pretty good but a bit bland. Hardly anyone ate it. It may have been the chorizo I used. The store was out of the brand I usually buy. As others noted, this makes a lot more than will fit in a 9 x 13 pan.
Made this for Thanksgiving this year and it was a big hit. I opted to make the banana bread linked in the recipe but be advised you technically need 2 batches to make 3 lbs. That said, after making this recipe as written, it yields more than a 9x13 pan. I had a 10x15 casserole dish and this filled it completely. So you could probably make less cornbread to fit into the 9x13 pan as directed. Also I ended up needing to sauté the veggies in batches due to volume so keep in mind based on size of your pan. Overall, I’d definitely make this again though maybe on a smaller scale but for thanksgiving, this was a perfect alternative for traditional stuffing.
@Erin I meant cornbread!