Colorful Christmas Casserole

I know it isn’t even December yet and we are all barely putting away Thanksgiving decor, but I thought I would pass along a favorite holiday recipe. The golden corn bread, sugary cranberries and leafy parsley make for a beautifully colored and savory Christmas side or main dish.

Sausage, Cranberry, and Corn Bread Casserole

1 1/2 loaves of fresh corn bread

2 cups pecans

3 celery ribs

1 stick unsalted butter (8 Tbls)

1/2 pound (about 3 links) sweet Italian sausage

2 cups fresh or unthawed frozen cranberries

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves

2 cups chicken broth


Preheat oven to 325

Cut corn bread into 1/2 inch cubes. In shallow baking pan place in middle of oven until dry, about 20 min. Transfer to large bowl.

In pan, roast pecans in oven until insides are golden, 10-20 minutes.

In a 12” skillet cook chopped celery in butter with salt and pepper to taste over moderately low heat, stirring, until celery is tender.

Remove sausage from casings and break into small pieces. Add sausage to celery and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasional until sausage is cooked through.

In a small saucepan cook cranberries

with sugar over moderately high heat,

stirring until a some begin to burst.

About 5 minutes.                                                                    

Chop Parsely

Add pecans, sausage mixture (un-drained), cranberries, parsley, broth and toss together. Salt and Pepper to taste.

Bake for 7 minutes covered. 3 minutes uncovered

Bring to room temperature before serving.

Bon Appetite!