Apple Cinnamon Cranberry Stuffing

The best flavors of autumn come together in this apple cranberry stuffing recipe with cinnamon and sage complementing a trio of tart, sweet and savory flavors.

Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon Simply Organic Sage Leaf Ground
• 1 teaspoon Simply Organic Cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon Simply Organic Ginger Root Ground
• 1/4 teaspoon Simply Organic Nutmeg Ground
• 1/2 teaspoon Simply Organic Black Pepper Medium Grind
• 4 teaspoons unsalted butter, divided
• 2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and roughly chopped
• 2 turkey sausage links (8-ounces total), casings removed (optional, see note)
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 1 ribs celery, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon Frontier Sea Salt
• 12 cups day-old focaccia bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1/2 cup pecans, toasted and chopped
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries (see note)
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 teaspoons fresh parsley, chopped

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter a 9x13-inch casserole dish.
Melt two tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet set over medium heat. Crumble in sausage meat and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 8 minutes or until cooked through.
Stir in remaining butter, apples, onion, celery, garlic, sage, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and 1/4 teaspoon each of the salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, for 7 to 9 minutes or until vegetables are softened. Cool slightly.
In a large bowl, toss vegetable mixture with bread, pecans, cranberries and remaining salt and pepper. Stir in eggs until combined. Stir in broth gradually until well-combined. Transfer to prepared pan.
Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until set in the center and golden on top. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Note: If you omit the sausage, skip Step 2 and start Step 3 by melting all of the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. For a sweeter stuffing, you may use sweetened dried cranberries.