Sausage and Apple Stuffed Acorn Squash

Weather-wise, my favorite season is definitely spring.  Everything coming alive--buds, leaves, flowers.  Everything starts warming up and the world just seems like a happy place to be.  However, when it comes to food I think my favorite season is fall.  I love when all the winter squashes start showing up in stores...banana squash, butternut squash, spaghetti squash, pumpkin.  They're all so good and in so many ways.  And possibly my favorite thing is how long their shelf life is.  You can store them for weeks or even months, and effectively make the fall food season last just a bit longer.  This recipe is just one of many great winter squash recipes out there, but it's definitely a favorite.  The slight sweetness of the apple, combined with the savory sausage and sauteed veggies is the perfect combination to complement the squash.  It is just full of those classic fall flavors that I love!

Sausage and Apple Stuffed Acorn Squash

Number of Servings: 4-6
Time to Prepare: 1 hour 15 minutes

• 2-3 medium acorn squash (2 will be very full with stuffing, 3 will be a bit shallow)
• olive oil (I used a roasted garlic flavored olive oil)
• kosher salt
• freshly ground pepper
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 stalks of celery, chopped
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 lb Italian sausage
• 1 apple, finely chopped
• 1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup plus 3 Tbsp Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Cut off the top and bottom of each squash (as needed) to create a flat base.  Be careful not to cut through to the center cavity.  Slice each squash in half and scrape out the seeds.  Place the squash halves on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and season with kosher salt and ground pepper.  Roast for 40-50 minutes, until fork tender.

While squash is roasting, heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat.  Add onion, celery, salt, pepper, and rosemary.  Cook until onions and celery begin to soften.  Add garlic and sausage and cook until sausage is browned.   Add apple and cook until slightly softened.  Mix in bread crumbs and 1/2 cup Parmesan.  Remove from heat.

Once squash has finished roasting, spoon the stuffing into each squash half.  Return to to the oven for 15 minutes.  Sprinkle the remaining Parmesan on top of the stuffing and cook for 5 more minutes, then serve.

Source: adapted from Tasty
Produce Used: Acorn squash, onion, celery, garlic, apple