My little boy is 7 and a half (as he will tell you) and he just had his first bite of dressing, thank you very much to Udi’s Gluten-Free Bread. Thanksgiving dinner is my absolute favorite dinner of the entire year, and I replicate it several times throughout the year, on a smaller scale with a Roasted Turkey Breast.

This recipe doubles easily, but I’m only making one smallish casserole pan for those of us who require it. My sister-in-law, Lucy, brings the traditional, gluten-laden casserole, enough to feed an army with leftovers the next day. Please tell me you’ve made a turkey sandwich slathered with stuffing and gravy…heaven.

The thing with dressing is to add in the ingredients you like – fruit, oysters, spices. I’ll omit the pork sausage for our Jewish friends who have Christmas dinner with our family each year and instead will add a chicken and apple sausage. Make it  your own and change it up each year until you arrive at your own perfect concoction.

Prep time: 20 minutes
Total time: 55 minutes
Yield: 8×8 casserole

7 c. Udi’s bread (about 10 pieces) stacked 5 at a time, cut into cubes (4 crosswise cuts each way)
2 sweet Italian pork sausage links (make sure they are gluten-free, of course)
1 1/2 c. chicken stock
1 yellow onion, chopped
3 celery ribs, chopped
1 egg, beaten
2 T fresh, chopped Italian parsley
1/2 tsp. thyme
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. marjoram
1/4 tsp. sage
grinding of fresh black pepper
butter  or oil
parchment paper or aluminum foil (Reynold’s now makes a parchment paper you can find at any supermarket)

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees.
2. Spread bread cubes on a cookie sheet and place in a 200 degree oven for 7-8 minutes until dried. Remove and set aside.
3. Increase oven temperature to 350 degrees.
4. In a large skillet, squeeze sausage from it’s casings and brown, separating with the back of a wooden spoon, about 7-8 minutes.
5. Once sausage is browned, add chopped onions and celery and saute until wilted, another 7-8 minutes.
6. Into large mixing bowl, combine dried bread cubes and sausage, celery and onion mixture. Add all remaining ingredients and stir until well combined.
7. Transfer stuffing to a well buttered or oiled the casserole pan and cover with parchment or aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes.
8. Remove parchment or foil and increase oven to broil and crisp top of casserole for 1 minute.