Herbed Sausage, Cranberry, and Apple Stuffing

INGREDIENTS

10 cups

cubed whole grain day-old bread (or your favorite bread)

2 tbsp

unsalted butter

medium onion, diced

stalks celery, thinly sliced

1/2 tsp

salt

1/2 tsp

freshly ground black pepper

1 cup

roughly chopped mushrooms

1 tsp

dried thyme leaves (or leaves from about 3 stalks fresh thyme)

1 tsp

dried sage (or about 2 Tbsp chopped fresh)

2 tsp

dried parsley (or about 2-3 Tbsp chopped fresh)

1 lb

sweet or spicy Italian sausage

2 cups

diced apples (about 2 medium)

and 1/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth

2/3 cup

dried cranberries

optional: fresh herbs to garnish