Thanksgiving Menu 2: Italian Sausage and Sourdough Bread Stuffing

I am skipping the salad course as I assume we all know how to put that together :)
For the past 2-3 years my favorite stuffing has been Italian sausage and bread; this is a new version of that which I have not yet tried, but I trust Cooking Light and I love sourdough, so here goes:

14 servings (leftovers are so great, why make less?)

10 c. sourdough bread, cut into 1/2 cubes (about 1 pound)
3 T. unsalted butter
2 c. onion, finely chopped
1 c. celery, finely chopped
15 oz. hot Italian sausage, casings removed
3 T. fresh thyme, chopped
3 T. fresh sage, chopped
3 T. flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1/2 tsp. black pepper
2 c. fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
1 c. water
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Arrange bread cubes in a single layer on 2 jelly-roll pans. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until golden, rotating pans after 10 minutes. Turn oven off, but leave pans in oven for 30 minutes or until the bread is crisp.
(this can be made 2 days ahead and stored in zip-log bags)
Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and celery; cook 10 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Transfer vegetables to a large bowl. Add (crumbled) sausage to pan; increase heat and saute 8 minutes or so until browned, stirring and breaking up the lumps of sausage. Remove the sausage using a slotted spoon and add it to the vegetable mixture. Stir in bread, herbs, and pepper; toss. Combine broth, water and egg in a large measuring cup or medium bowl, stirring well. Drizzle broth mixture over bread mixture and toss well.
(this can be prepared one day ahead and stored in the refrigerator)
Spoon stuffing into a 13x9-inch glass or ceramic baking dish, coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 2 5 minutes. Uncover and cook 20 minutes or until browned.

Notes: there is an interesting take on baked stuffing in the Nov/Dec issue of Cook's Illustrated (another favorite of mine) in which they place sautee'd turkey or chicken wings (separated and pierced with a knife to release juices) on top of the stuffing before baking. The idea is that the released juices will permeate the stuffing and replicate the flavor and texture of stuffing actually cooked inside the turkey (something we don't recommend any more for health safety reasons). I may actually try this.