San Francisco Sourdough Stuffing

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Spread bread cubes on a large rimmed baking sheet; bake, stirring twice, until very lightly toasted, about 16 to 18 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook sausage in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, breaking up chunks with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, about 3 minutes; remove to a large bowl.

Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in same skillet. Add onions and celery; cook over medium-high heat, stirring often, until tender, about 10 to 12 minutes.

Add remaining tablespoon of butter to skillet; stir until melted. Add onion mixture to sausage mixture and then add toasted bread, figs, pecans, cranberries, thyme, sage, salt and pepper; stir to mix well.

Gradually add broth to stuffing and toss until evenly moistened.

Coat a 2- to 2 1/2-quart baking dish with cooking spray. Spoon stuffing into prepared baking dish; cover and bake 30 minutes.

Uncover stuffing and bake until top is lightly toasted, about 15 minutes more. Remove from oven; sprinkle with parsley and toss.

Want to get a head start on your Thanksgiving cooking? You can toast the bread up to 3 days ahead and the sausage, onions and celery can be sauteed up to 2 days in advance.