Sausage, Sage and Apple Stuffing

So it's finally November and I find myself asking, where has all the time gone??  October seemed to fly right on by and now Thanksgiving is right around the corner.  Growing up I couldn't wait for the day when I had my own family to cook a traditional Thanksgiving dinner for, you know...with ALL the trimmings.  Sooo what does one do when one dreams of such things?  Well she practices of course.

This stuffing is one that I just know will be a part of my holiday menu for years to come, it tasted that incredible!  Sourdough bread mixed with sweet sausage combined with apple, sage and fennel...need I go on??  Oh yes, well there is the part where apple cider was involved.

Perfection in a ceramic dish.

I should warn that this dish does take some time to make, due to all the chopping involved, but the end result is completely worth all the hard work!  My suggestion would be to make this the night before, cover with foil and pop in the oven the next day.  That way you save tons of time in the kitchen and have longer to spend with friends and family.

You're welcome.

Thanksgiving is personally one of my favorite holidays and yes I know it's still a bit early to even be bringing it up, but it does seem appropriate given this is a classic recipe.  Not only does it officially begin the countdown until Christmas, but some of my favorite memories have been made on this delicious holiday.  I remember growing up helping my Grandma make her famous cranberry sauce or the smell of homemade apple cider and pecan pie oozing out of the kitchen.  It's where I developed a true passion for cooking along with an infinite love and respect for my family.

....Christmas of course would be my second favorite holiday.

Duh.

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Servings: 12

Serving Size: 3/4 cup 

Calories: 166

Fat: 6 g

Carbs: 22.1 g

Fiber: 2.3 g

Protein: 7 g

Old Points: 3.4 pts

Points+: 4 pts

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Here are your ingredients:

Recipe adapted from Cooking Light 

8 cups sourdough bread, 1-inch cubes
6 oz. mild Italian sausage
1 1/2 cups onion, chopped
1 1/4 cups fennel bulb, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
3 cups chopped, peeled Golden Delicious apple (about 2)
6 garlic cloves, minced
3 Tbsp fresh sage, chopped
1/3 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 1/4 cups chicken stock
1/4 cup apple cider
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 tsp. black pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Bake bread cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet for about 20 minutes or until golden.  Cool and place in a large bowl.  Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat and cook sausage until browned and crumbled.  Add sausage to bread in bowl.

Return skillet to medium-high heat and add onion, fennel and celery to pan.  Saute for about 7 minutes until crisp and tender, stirring occasionally.  Stir in apple and garlic; saute for 5 minutes until veggies are tender.  Add sage and cook for an additional minute, stirring occasionally.  Remove pan from heat and stir in chopped parsley.  Add onion mixture to bread mixture and toss well to combine.

In a separate bowl, whisk together chicken stock, apple cider, eggs and black pepper.  Gently combine egg mixture with bread mixture.  Spoon stuffing into an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray and bake at 350 degrees F for about 45 minutes until top is browned.  Enjoy!

Click here for a printable version of this recipe

Hope you enjoy this as much as I did with your family this upcoming holiday!
Can't wait to share with you some other Thanksgiving dishes I've experimented with this season.

Cheers!