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.

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

Ingredients

• 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

Preparation

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.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

199 (24% from fat)

Fat:

5.2g (sat 1.6g,mono 1.5g,poly 1g)

Protein:

10.7g

Carbohydrate:

28.6g

Fiber:

3.4g

Cholesterol:

23mg

Iron:

1.8mg

Sodium:

684mg

Calcium:

54mg