Autumn Sausage Casserole

When I finished making this dish I was so happy with the way it turned out.  The sweetness of the raisins and apples played off so well with the spices and rice.  I'll be making it again next month for certain.  It just had that Autumn warm feel to it while I ate =)

Although I did alter this recipe slightly, I pretty much stuck to it.  I didn't have fresh parsley so used dried instead, and lowered the amount of rice and increased the amount of sausage.  We have the huge rolls of Blue and Gold sausage we bought from one of our nephews school fundraising thing.  They've been sitting there forever in the freezer and I'm so pleased to have found a recipe to use those in! No worrying about them going freezer burnt on me no, sir-E!

Autumn Sausage Casserole

Ingredients

• 1.25 Lbs. pork sausage, ground.
• 1 medium apple, peeled and chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 2 cups cooked white rice (I used short grain but it's up to you what kind you'd like to use)
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 2 1/2 Tbsp. parsley (1/3 cup minced if using fresh)
• 1 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. ground allspice
• 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp. pepper

Directions:

• In a large skillet, cook the sausage, apple, onion, and celery over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain.  Stir in the remaining ingredients.
• Transfer to a greased 2-qt. baking dish.  Cover and bake at 350F degrees for 25-30 minutes or until heated through. 

Source: Adapted from a recipe found at Taste Of Home.