15 minutes
This recipe I found on Pinterest and is borrowed from Ashley at www.cherishedbliss.com . It is one of my go to recipes in the fall when squash is cheap and in season. The dish contains sausage, but it can easily be made vegetarian by omitting it I have also replaced the bread crumbs from the original recipe with quinoa. This meal is warm, nourishing, and full of flavor. It is a creative way of using all these simple ingredients and that is why I turn to it again and again.
1 hour
6 servings
3 Acorn Squash, halved
Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper
1 lb Ground Sausage
1 Small Onion, finely chopped
2 Large Celery Stalks, finely chopped
2 Apples, diced
½ tsp sage
1 cup cooked quinoa
1 cup Parmasean Cheese or nutritional yeast
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Using a sharp knife cut off each end of the acorn squash removing as little as possible, then cut in half. Spoon out seeds. Brush olive oil inside and on top of acorn squash and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 40 minutes to an hour depending on size of your squash until tender and you can pierce with a fork, but still holding it's shape.
While the squash is baking begin sautéing the sausage for about 5 minutes, drain and pat dry with a paper towel to remove as much grease as possible, but don't discard grease in the pan. Using the grease from the sausage add your onions and celery to the pan and sauté for another 2-3 minutes until it starts to brown. Add apples and sauté for another 2 minutes or until softened. Stir in sage and quinoa. Add ¾ cup parmesan cheese or nutritional yeast and stir until it begins to melt. Set aside.
Once squash has finished baking and reached desired tenderness spoon in meat mixture until the squash is filled. Return to the oven and bake an additional 15-20 minutes depending on size of squash.
Remove from oven and enjoy!