Autumn Harvest Orzo Holiday Stuffing

Printable Recipe
Serving Size: 6-8

Ingredients:

1 lb. Pappardelle's Autumn Harvest Orzo
1 loaf French bread, diced
1 lb. Polidori Sweet Italian Sausage
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
2 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 tbsp. butter
1 yellow onion, diced
3 stalks celery, diced
1 medium shallot, finely diced
1 medium apple, peeled, cored, and diced
1 cup sweetened dried cranberries
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
3 tbsp. fresh sage, finely chopped
1 tbsp. fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1 tbsp. fresh thyme, finely chopped
Salt & pepper, to taste

Instructions:

Lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish and set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place bread cubes onto a baking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes, until toasted, tossing occasionally. Set aside.
In a large sauté pan on medium-high heat, cook sausage, breaking up as it begins to brown, until fully cooked. Remove from skillet and set aside. Add EVOO and butter to pan and let butter melt. Add onions, celery and shallot and sauté until onions are translucent. Add apple pieces and sauté for 1 minute more. Remove from heat. Add cranberries and cooked sausage. Reserve mixture.
In a large pot, boil chicken stock. Cook orzo in the chicken stock until al dente, about 8 mins. Reserve cooking liquid and drain. In a large mixing bowl, toss orzo with sausage mixture until well combined. Add toasted bread and herbs.
Pour about 2 cups of cooking liquid into stuffing mixture. Stir and allow the bread to absorb liquid. Keep adding a small amount of liquid until bread no longer absorbs it. Spoon mixture evenly into baking dish and cover with foil. Bake for 35 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes. Remove and let cool for 10 minutes. Serve with your holiday turkey!