• You will also need: Cooking Spray or oil to lightly coat the baking dish, Casserole dish – we used a 1.5 quart dish

Make the croutons

• Preheat the oven to 350°F
• Cut the bread into roughly 1 inch cubes. Arrange them on a large baking sheet. Bake the croutons for 6 – 8 minutes until they’re lightly toasted.

Toast the almonds

• Place the almonds in a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Cook them gently for 5-6 minutes until golden. Shake the skillet often and keep an eye on them so they don’t burn. Remove the skillet from the heat.

Cook the vegetables

• Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When the oil is hot but not smoking add the onions and celery. Cook gently for 4 – 5 minutes until the onions are translucent, stirring frequently.
• Add the garlic, cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently.

Brown the sausage

• Raise the heat to medium-high and add the sausage. Cook, about 5 minutes to brown the sausage, stirring frequently and breaking up any large pieces with a wooden spoon or spatula.
• Lower the heat to medium-low and add the sliced almonds, stir to combine. Continue cooking for 3-4 minutes while stirring.
• Remove the sausage mixture from the heat. You will need to handle it with your hands, so let it cool down. Stir the sausage once in a while to allow the steam to escape, it will cool quicker.

Prepare the sausage stuffing

• Preheat oven to 350°F
• Add the sausage mixture, toasted croutons, a slightly beaten egg and a generous pinch of salt to a large bowl.
• Slowly add in the chicken broth while combining the ingredients with your hands. Continue adding chicken broth until the bread is moist all the way through but not soupy.
• Spray a medium casserole dish lightly with cooking spray. Add the stuffing to the dish without packing it down.

Bake

• Bake the sausage stuffing for approximately 30-40 minutes until the top is a nice golden brown color, and the internal temperature reaches at least 165°F. Use an instant read thermometer to make sure.