Cornbread and Sausage Stuffing (Gluten-Free or Regular...Your Choice!)

Thanksgiving is the first holiday dinner that I have been gluten-free for, and my immediate thoughts were the stuffing and gravy. 

 

It turns out, both of these dishes are easily converted to gluten-free.  For this stuffing, I made half with Bob's Red Mill gluten-free cornbread mix and the other half with Bob's Red Mill regular cornbread mix (just in case the gluten-free stuffing...sucked).  Those who taste-tested both at Thanksgiving dinner said that they tasted exactly the same!  The Hubby's grandmother is also gluten-free, so we both got to enjoy stuffing with our turkey.  This is a keeper recipe that I would definitely make in the future.  I added the pecans for a little crunch, and I think it went nicely with it.
This blog post comes from a previous post about Thanksgiving 2012.  If you want to read the full blog post about Thanksgiving 2012, click here to go back to that page.  Otherwise, enjoy...

Cornbread and Sausage Stuffing

Holiday Dinner Make-Ahead?  Yes!

Serves:  10

Ingredients

1 pound fresh pork sausage, casings removed, crumbled

1 large onion, (about 2 cups), finely chopped

3 celery sticks, finely chopped ( about 1 1/2 cups)

Coarse salt and ground pepper

2 pounds (about 12 cups) prepared cornbread, cut into 3/4-inch cubes (I used Bob's Red Mill gluten-free cornbread mix but you could also use Bob's Red Mill regular cornbread mix)

3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh sage

3 large eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)

1 to 2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth

Directions

In a large nonstick skillet, cook sausage over medium-high heat, stirring often, until browned and cooked through, 5 to 8 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer to a large bowl.

To pan, add onion, celery, and 1/4 cup water. Reduce heat to medium and cook, scraping up any browned bits with a wooden spoon, until vegetables soften, about 10 minutes. Season generously with salt and pepper. Add to sausage.

Add cornbread, sage, and eggs to sausage and vegetables. Bring broth to a simmer in a small saucepan; pour 1/2 cup over stuffing, and toss gently (cornbread will break down into smaller pieces). If needed, add up to 1/2 cup more broth, until stuffing feels moist, but not wet. Stuff into turkey, using about 4 cups.

Spoon remaining stuffing into a baking pan; it should reach the top. Refrigerate stuffing in pan and remaining broth separately, covered, until ready to bake.  Alternatively, if you aren't planning on cooking the stuffing inside the turkey, pour all the chicken broth over the entire amount of stuffing, and transfer to a large baking dish.

Recipe Source:  Everyday Food, November 2005