This sheet-pan cornbread dressing has even more of the crispy, crunchy bits we love

If you love the crispy top and crunchy corners from a dish of dressing, you owe it to yourself to make a batch using a sheet pan.

For this cornbread dressing, the bread is lightly toasted and tossed together with diced vegetables, herbs, cream, broth and egg and then spread evenly on a large, rimmed baking sheet and slipped into the oven.

It bakes quickly, and the result is a crusty top with a layer of moist dressing below.

Even if you cut the soft, moist cornbread into chunks and bake it in the oven until crispy, it will largely fall apart as you stir the ingredients together. That's why I also include a smaller amount of white bread, cut into 1-inch pieces, and baked until dry and crispy. It gives the dressing more texture.

The vegetables are not precooked, so to ensure that you don't end up with undercooked bits, it is best to finely chop those ingredients, such as the scallions, onion and celery.

I love the combination of thyme and sage, but if you don't, substitute with your favorite seasoning blend, because this simple cornbread dressing can be easily altered to suit your taste.

If you like it sweet, use sweetened cornbread or add sugar. If you prefer a spicy kick, add a pinch more cayenne or mince a seeded jalapeño and stir it into the mixture before baking. Add crumbled crisp bacon or well-cooked sausage bits, if you like.

Keep in mind that the dressing will be a bit drier than most that are baked in a casserole dish or made on the stove. If it is too dry, that can be easily remedied by sprinkling additional cream or broth on top and tossing the cooked dressing together before serving.

A bonus: The slender baking sheet may fit in your oven above or beneath other dishes, allowing you to cook multiple dishes at once.

Sheet Pan Cornbread Dressing

You get lots of the crunchy, chewy, oven-crisped bits on top with a layer of still-moist cornbread beneath the surface. For this recipe, you can buy cornbread or make your own from scratch or a mix. If buying a mix, buy 2 (8.5-ounce) boxes of corn muffin mix, such as Jiffy.

Storage Notes: Leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 4 days. If the dressing is too dry when reheating, add a splash of cream or broth to moisten.

10 cups cornbread (about 12 muffins), broken or cut into ½-inch pieces

3 cups (2 ounces) ½-inch cubed rustic white bread

1 cup (2 to 3 ribs) finely chopped celery

½ cup (about 4 ounces or ½ large) finely chopped yellow onion

½ cup (about 2½ ounces or 3 large) finely chopped scallions

2 large eggs

¾ cup heavy cream, or more as needed

3 cloves garlic, finely grated or minced

2 teaspoons rubbed sage, or 1 teaspoon ground sage or 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage

½ teaspoon dried thyme, or 1½ teaspoons fresh thyme

½ teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

2½ cups low-sodium turkey or low-sodium chicken broth, or more if needed

Cooking spray or neutral oil, for greasing the baking sheet

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees. Spread out the cornbread and white bread on a large, rimmed baking sheet and toast them for about 10 minutes, or until crispy.

In a large bowl, combine the celery, onion, scallions, eggs, heavy cream, garlic, sage, thyme, salt and cayenne. Add the toasted bread, pour the broth over everything and, as gently as possible, toss together until well-combined. The dressing should be wet and all of the bread moistened, but not soupy. Add more cream or stock, 1 tablespoon at a time, if the mixture is dry or crumbly.

Remove any crumbs from the baking sheet pan used to toast the bread and grease it with cooking spray or oil. Spread the mixture evenly over the prepared sheet and dot with butter. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the top is nicely browned.

Variations: Add ½ cup crisp chopped bacon or well-cooked sausage to the bowl before adding the bread.

Use sweetened cornbread, or add 1 tablespoon granulated sugar to the bowl, if you want a sweet cornbread dressing.

Serves 8 to 10

Nutrition (based on 10 servings) | Calories: 321; Total Fat: 16 g; Saturated Fat: 8 g; Cholesterol: 105 mg; Sodium: 612 mg; Carbohydrates: 35 g; Dietary Fiber: 2 g; Sugar: 11 g; Protein: 8 g.

From recipes editor Ann Maloney.