When it comes to Thanksgiving stuffing, it’s hard to get a more classic flavor combination than sausage and pecans. The result is a salty, nutty, sweet, crunchy and tender combination of flavors and textures. For simplicity, we bake our stuffing in a side dish, but you could use it to stuff the bird, too. Just be sure to adjust your cooking time and make sure the interior temperature reaches a safe 165 F.

Sausage Pecan Stuffing

Start to finish: 1 hour
Servings: 8
12 ounces loose Italian
sausage meat (hot or sweet)
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 carrots, finely diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black
pepper
3/4 cup chopped toasted
pecans
12-ounce bag seasoned stuffing cubes
2 eggs

2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken or turkey broth

Heat the oven to 350 F. Coat a large casserole dish or 9-by- 13-inch baking pan with cooking spray.

In a large skillet mediumhigh heat, saute the sausage meat, breaking it up as it cooks and browns, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the onion, carrots, celery, salt and black pepper. Cook for another 6 to 8 minutes, or until the onions are soft and translucent.

In a large bowl, combine the sausage mixture with the pecans and stuffing cubes. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs until foamy, then whisk in the broth. Pour the egg and broth mixture over the stuffing mixture and gently stir to thoroughly mix. Spoon into the prepared casserole dish or baking pan and bake for 30 minutes, or until browned and cooked through.

Nutrition information per serving: 340 calories; 130 calories from fat (38 percent of total calories); 14 g fat (2.5 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 60 mg cholesterol; 38 g carbohydrate; 4 g fiber; 5 g sugar; 16 g protein; 870 mg sodium.

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