[beachgal]

This is the stuffing recipe I've used for the last two years. Everyone really liked it at our family Thanksgivings. I've tried this stuffed in a turkey and baked in a pan. It's good both ways...a bit wetter when in the turkey and a bit crispier when in the pan. Very, very yummy!

Sourdough Stuffing with Pears and Sausage


Sourdough bread gives the stuffing a tangier flavor than French bread, but you can use the latter in a pinch. [This is in the Cooking Light recipe, though I wouldn't do it--French bread isn't SBD-safe.]

8 cups (1/2-inch) cubed sourdough bread (about 12 ounces)
1 pound turkey Italian sausage
Cooking spray
5 cups chopped onion (about 2 pounds)
2 cups chopped celery
1 cup chopped carrot
1 (8-ounce) package presliced mushrooms
2 cups (1/2-inch) cubed peeled Bartlett pear (about 2 medium)
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
2 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 425°.
Arrange bread in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 425° for 9 minutes or until golden. Place in a large bowl.

Remove casings from sausage. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add sausage, and cook for 8 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. Add sausage to bread cubes, tossing to combine. Set aside.

Return pan to medium-high heat. Add onion, celery, and carrot; sauté 10 minutes or until onion begins to brown. Stir in mushrooms; cook 4 minutes. Stir in pear, basil, tarragon, and salt; cook 4 minutes or until pear begins to soften, stirring occasionally. Add pear mixture to bread mixture, tossing gently to combine. Stir in broth and pepper.

Place bread mixture in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray; cover with foil. Bake at 425° for 20 minutes. Uncover; bake stuffing an additional 15 minutes or until top of stuffing is crisp.

Yield: 12 servings (serving size: about 3/4 cup)

CALORIES 199 (24% from fat); FAT 5.2g (sat 1.6g,mono 1.5g,poly 1g); PROTEIN 10.7g; CHOLESTEROL 23mg; CALCIUM 54mg; SODIUM 684mg; FIBER 3.4g; IRON 1.8mg; CARBOHYDRATE 28.6g

Cooking Light, NOVEMBER 2005