SAUSAGE-MUSHROOM "DRESSING"
1 pound pork sausage
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped, about 4 ounces
2 stalks celery, coarsely chopped
16 ounces fresh mushrooms, quartered
8 ounces Monterey jack cheese, shredded
Salt and pepper, to taste
In a large skillet, brown the sausage along with the onion and celery. Cook until the celery is tender; drain the grease. Add the mushrooms and cook until they are tender. Put the sausage mixture in a casserole dish and stir in the cheese. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Microwave to melt the cheese and heat through or bake at 350º for 30 minutes until browned on top.
Makes 4-6 servings
Can be frozen
Per 1/4 Recipe: 614 Calories; 48g Fat; 40g Protein; 8g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 6g Net Carbs
Per 1/6 Recipe: 410 Calories; 32g Fat; 27g Protein; 5g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 4g Net Carbs
Although the texture isn't really like real stuffing, the flavors are close. I made this for our Thanksgiving dinner and it was nice to have that stuffing flavor along with my meat and gravy. I would probably leave out the cheese next time. The cheese did help hold everything together but it got a little oily when I reheated it. I don't think it would be too hard to eat without the cheese as long as you keep the bits of sausage and mushrooms kind of big. Click the photo to see a close-up.
UPDATE 4/9/15: I don't know what I was thinking when I said that I might leave out the cheese. I just adjusted the ingredient list to include 8 ounces of cheese instead of just four. It comes out a bit oily but it's very tasty and moist that way. That also boosts the fat content. To add even more fat, and flavor, I sometimes stir in the drippings from my roast chicken after the dressing has been baked.