This Southwest Cornbread Stuffing Recipe Is About to Be Your New Go-to Thanksgiving Side Dish

As a born-and-raised Southwesterner, I'm a sucker for anything that's considered to be a part of my regional cuisine: If it's made with corn, cheese, or chiles, you can count me in. So naturally, this triple-tested Southwest cornbread stuffing recipe checks all of my boxes ... and with its subtle kick of spice, I'm willing to bet it'll be a hit with your Thanksgiving crowd too. (But hey, if if a sweet and savory Northwest fruit stuffing sounds more up your alley, we've got a recipe for that as well.)  

To whip up your own batch of this ridiculously easy stuffing, just follow the Good Housekeeping Test Kitchen's simple recipe below — and don't forget to keep these expert-approved tips in mind. 

1. Make sure your cornbread passes the toothpick test. You'll know the bread base for your stuffing is done when the top is a gorgeous golden color and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
2. Plan ahead to get the texture just right. If you want your stuffing to be on the firmer side, be sure to make the cornbread up to two days in advance: Letting the bread sit allows it to stale slightly and get that structure you're looking for.
3. Crumble, cook, and serve. The best part about this super-simple recipe is that all of the ingredients are baked into the cornbread — so whenever you're ready, all you have to do is crumble it up, combine it with a bit of chicken stock, and throw it all back in the oven to warm it up.