Stovetop Wild Rice Stuffing

3 tablespoons of olive oil

1 medium of onion diced

3 cloves of garlic minced

1 large of carrot diced

1 red bell pepper diced

2 stalks of celery cut in halves and diced

1/2 pound of Italian sausage removed from casing

1 teaspoon of kosher salt

1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes

1 tablespoon of Italian seasoning dried

1 cup of dried cranberries roughly chopped

1 cup of chopped pecans

3 cups of bread stuffing cubed

2 cups of wild rice cooked

2 1/2 cups of chicken stock

fresh parsley chopped, for garnish

1. In a large skillet or pot, heat the olive oil to medium-high heat. Add the onions and garlic and sauté until onions have softened and become translucent. Add the diced carrots, red bell peppers and celery and sauté with onions and garlic until they become tender.
2. After the aromatics have softened, add the ground Italian sausage, breaking apart with a wooden spoon or spatula. Mix together with the rest of the ingredients until the sausage becomes brown with golden-brown edges. Add the seasonings and stir.
3. After the ground Italian sausage has browned, add the dried cranberries and chopped pecans. Stir and heat through. The cranberries will soften a bit. Then, add the bread for stuffing and cooked wild rice. Stir, making sure the rice and bread stuffing heat through. Taste for seasoning.
4. Add the chicken stock and stir, making sure the bread softens but still maintains a nice bite. Taste again for seasoning and cook until rice and bread have heated all the way through.