Recipe: Country Sausage and Cornbread Stuffing

Country Sausage and Cornbread Stuffing

1 pound bulk pork sausage
4 tablespoons butter or margarine
3 medium-size celery stalks, diced
1 large onion, diced
1 medium-size red bell pepper, diced
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon coarsely-ground black pepper
1 (16 ounce) package cornbread stuffing mix
1 cup pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped
1/4 cup chopped parsley

Heat 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage meat and cook until browned, stirring frequently to break up sausage. With slotted spoon, remove sausage from skillet to large bowl. Discard all but 2 tablespoons sausage drippings from skillet. Add margarine or butter, celery, onion, and red pepper; cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are browned. Stir in broth, black pepper, and 3/4 cup water; heat to boiling, stirring to loosen any brown bits from bottom of skillet. Add vegetable mixture, cornbread stuffing mix, pecans, and parsley to sausage; mix well.

Use to stuff a 12- to 16-pound turkey. Or spoon stuffing into a 13 x 9-inch glass baking dish. Cover with foil and bake at 325 degrees F for 45 minutes or until the stuffing is heated through.