Herbed Bread Stuffing with Mushrooms and Sausage

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds peasant-style white bread
• 4 (4-ounce) links sweet turkey Italian sausage
• 2 teaspoons butter
• 1 pound cremini mushrooms, quartered
• Cooking spray
• 2 cups chopped onion
• 1 1/4 cups chopped carrot
• 1 1/4 cups chopped celery
• 1/2 cup minced fresh parsley
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh sage
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 large eggs
• 1 (14-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. Trim crust from bread. Cut bread into 1 1/2-inch cubes. Arrange bread cubes in a single layer on 2 jelly-roll pans. Bake at 400° for 10 minutes or until toasted.
3. Reduce oven temperature to 350°.
4. Cook sausage in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat 10 minutes, browning on all sides. Remove from pan; cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices.
5. Melt butter in skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms; sauté 4 minutes. Combine bread cubes, sausage, and mushrooms in a large bowl.
6. Heat skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion, carrot, and celery; sauté 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Add parsley, thyme, sage, salt, and pepper; sauté 1 minute. Add to bread mixture. Combine eggs and broth, stirring with a whisk. Add to bread mixture; toss to coat. Spoon into a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes or until browned.