Preheat your oven to 425°F and grease a baking dish. In a large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, and melted butter until combined. Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and stir until just combined—don't overmix. Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and bake for 20-25 minutes until golden and a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes, then cut into ½-inch cubes and spread on a baking sheet. Increase oven temperature to 400°F and toast the cornbread cubes for 8-10 minutes until they're lightly dried out and crispy on the edges—this prevents the stuffing from becoming soggy.

While the cornbread is cooling, dice the onion and celery into ¼-inch pieces and finely chop the fresh parsley. I like to keep these prepped vegetables separate so they're ready to go when you need them—it makes the assembly much smoother. Remove the Italian sausage from its casings if using links, breaking it into small crumbles.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook the Italian sausage, breaking it into small pieces as it cooks. After about 5 minutes when the sausage is starting to brown, add the diced celery and onion. Continue cooking for about 10 minutes total until the sausage is fully cooked through and the vegetables are softened. The vegetables will pick up all the flavorful fat from the sausage, which is exactly what you want for building depth in your stuffing.

Transfer the cooked sausage and vegetable mixture from Step 3 to a large bowl, leaving behind any excess fat in the pan—you want flavor, not grease. Add the toasted cornbread cubes from Step 1, the poultry seasoning, and the fresh parsley. Toss everything together to distribute the ingredients evenly. In a small bowl, whisk together the chicken broth and beaten egg, then pour this mixture over the cornbread mixture. Stir gently but thoroughly until all the cornbread is moistened and the mixture comes together cohesively—I find using a wooden spoon works best here to avoid breaking up the cornbread too much.

Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F and grease a baking dish. Transfer the stuffing mixture from Step 4 into the prepared dish and cover tightly with foil. Bake for 40-45 minutes covered. Remove the foil for the last 10 minutes of baking to allow the top to dry out slightly and develop a light golden crust. Remove from the oven and cover loosely with foil while resting—this keeps it warm and moist until serving.