Sausage, Chestnut and Mushroom Stuffing

This is a fabulous stuffing recipe! I have made it without the Italian sausage and it still tastes great. Use the Gluten Free Sandwich Bread for the bread cubes. Make sure to leave them out to dry so it will hold its shape.  I am definitely serving this on Thanksgiving to everyone!

• 1 TB garlic oil or olive oil
• 1 1/2 lbs. mild gluten free Italian sausage, casings removed
• 2 yellow onions, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 7 oz. mushrooms, quartered
• 1 TB roasted garlic seasoning
• 1 TB Herbs de Provence
• 1 TB parsley flakes, fresh or dry
• 2 tsp. sea salt
• 1 cup roasted and peeled chestnuts, sliced
• 2 large Gala or Golden Delicious Apples, diced
• 1 lb. of cubed gluten free bread
• 3 to 4 cups of chicken broth

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Spray a 3 quart baking dish with non-stick cooking spray and set aside. Toast the bread cubes in the oven just until dry to the touch ( roughly 10 minutes) or leave out overnight to dry. Remove and set aside.

In a large fry pan, cook the sausage until no longer pink. Drain and set aside. In the same pan, add the garlic oil and sauté the onions until soft and translucent, about 10-12 minutes, then add the garlic and mushrooms and cook for another 10 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine the cooked sausage, the onion mixture, all seasonings, chestnuts, apples and the cubed bread. Stir to combine. Pour in the chicken stock 1/2 cup at a time carefully stirring until the bread will no longer soak up the stock.

Transfer to the prepared baking dish, cover and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the cover and bake for another 25-30 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Cool for 10 minutes before serving. Makes 10-12 servings.