This mouth-watering recipe can stand up to any out there that include twice the ingredients and are more complex. I make this every year and it’s always perfect with consistent rave reviews and results, guest after guest.

If you’re not a sausage fan, well make another recipe 😉 Or simply leave it out, but the flavors won’t be exactly the same. That being said, the sausage flavor really isn’t overwhelming,  just adds incredible depth of flavor that combines so well with the remaining ingredients.

Connecticut (from the Statewide most popular recipe search) chose a winner in my book and in my book, you will always find this simple, but luscious holiday recipe.

Ingredients:

1 pound sweet Italian sausage, preferably bulk, but I use large links

4 tablespoons butter

1 pound mushrooms, cleaned and quartered

2 celery stalks, chopped

1 large onion, chopped

1/2 cup dried cherries

1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped

1/2 teaspoon dried sage or 1/4 cup fresh

10 cups stale Italian bread, cubed or 2 bags of prepared store bought such as Pepperidge Farms or Marie Callender

2 cups chicken broth

2 eggs, slightly beaten

Directions:

Heat oven to 350* Coat a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray; set aside. Place a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Remove casings from sausage and crumble into skillet. Cook until no longer pink. Remove sausage from skillet with a slotted spoon. Add 2 tablespoons butter to skillet. When melted, add mushrooms to pan sauté until lightly browned. Remove and place in a large bowl.

Melt remaining butter in pan. Add celery and onion; saute for 5 minutes or until softened. Stir in cherries, parsley and sage and cool slightly. Transfer to the bowl with mushrooms. Add sausage, celery mixture, cubed bread, chicken broth and eggs, mixing well.

Pour mixture into prepared pan and cover with foil. Bake at 350 degrees F for 50 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 10 minutes or until lightly browned on top.