Cornbread & Sausage Stuffing

Cornbread stuffing, a Southern favorite, is a nice change from more traditional white-bread stuffing. Our delectable recipe uses Italian turkey sausage, rather than pork, and omits all the butter and cream to cut the fat by two-thirds. The stuffing is lower in sodium as well and so easy to make that it’s sure to become a favorite side year-round.

1 pound sweet Italian turkey sausage, (about 4 links), casings removed

2 cups finely chopped onion

1 1/2 cups finely chopped celery

1/4 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground pepper, to taste

2 pounds prepared cornbread, cut into 3/4-inch cubes (about 12 cups)

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage

1 1/2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth

Step 1
Preheat oven to 325°F. Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with cooking spray.

Step 2
Cook sausage in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, stirring and breaking up with a wooden spoon, until browned, about 10 minutes. Add onion and celery; cover, reduce heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 10 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Add cornbread, parsley and sage.

Step 3
Bring broth to a simmer in a small saucepan. Pour 1 cup over the stuffing mixture and toss gently (the cornbread will break into smaller pieces). Add as much of the remaining broth as needed, 1/2 cup at a time, until the stuffing feels moist but not wet. Spoon the stuffing into the prepared pan and cover with foil.

Step 4
Bake the stuffing until thoroughly heated, about 25 minutes. Serve warm.