Apple/Sausage Stuffed Acorn Squash
Ingredients
- 2 medium acorn squash
- oil to baste the cut squash
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 2 stalks celery chopped
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh rosemary
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- fresh or dried sage optional
- ½ lb sweet Italian sausage casing removed, and crumbled
- 1 apple peeled and grated, or chopped finely
- 1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese (set aside 4 tsp for later)
Instructions
Roasting the squash
- Preheat oven to 400°F
- Using a large, sharp knife, cut off a bit of the top and bottom to create a flat base, being careful not to cut through to the center cavity.
- Slice the squash in half, so that the cut ends form a base. Scrape out the seeds.
- Drizzle each squash half with olive oil (and salt and pepper, if using)
- Place squash halves, cut and oiled side down (base up), on to a baking pan, perhaps lined with parchment paper for easy cleanup
- Roast in the preheated 400°F oven for 40 to 50 minutes, or until fork tender
- Remove from oven and let cool.
Preparing the stuffing
- Using a large frying pan over medium heat, cook the sausage
- When the sausage is cooked through, add minced garlic and cook for a minute or so. Drain off any fat.
- Remove sausage garlic mixture to a bowl.
- Add olive oil to frying pan, and then add onion, celery, rosemary, sage (if using), pepper and salt. Cook until onions begin to soften
- Add sausage and garlic back to the pan, along with the chopped apple. Cook until apple is soft.
- Finally, mix in bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese until just incorporated. Remove from heat.
Filling the squash
- Fill each squash half with the stuffing mix, piling it high
- Return the squash to the oven for 20 minutes, sprinkling a teaspoon of remaining Parmesan cheese over the tops for the final 5 minutes.
- Enjoy when cool enough to eat!