Description
A hearty and simple recipe for acorn squash filled with savory sausage, sweet apple, and wild rice, perfect for a fall dinner.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 medium acorn squash
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound bulk mild Italian sausage
- 1 small yellow onion, chopped
- 1 cup cooked wild rice blend
- 1 medium apple, peeled, cored, and diced
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon dried sage
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly grease a baking sheet.
- Cut each acorn squash in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds and stringy pulp.
- Brush the cut surfaces of the squash lightly with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place cut-side down on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the squash is tender when pierced with a fork. Remove from the oven and set aside.
- While the squash bakes, cook the sausage in a large skillet over medium heat, breaking it up with a spoon until browned. Drain off any excess grease.
- Add the chopped onion to the skillet with the sausage and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
- Remove the skillet from the heat. Stir in the cooked wild rice, diced apple, dried cranberries, parsley, and sage. Season the mixture with salt and pepper.
- Turn the baked squash halves cut-side up. Spoon the sausage and rice mixture evenly into the cavities of the squash halves.
- Return the stuffed squash to the oven and bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, until the filling is heated through.
Notes
- You can substitute ground turkey or ground beef for the Italian sausage if you prefer a different flavor profile.
- If you do not have cooked wild rice, you can use brown rice or quinoa as a substitute.
- For a sweeter dish, add 1 tablespoon of maple syrup to the filling mixture.
- Prep Time: 20 min
- Cook Time: 50 min
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 half squash
- Calories: 480
- Sugar: 12
- Sodium: 650
- Fat: 28
- Saturated Fat: 10
- Unsaturated Fat: 18
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 38
- Fiber: 6
- Protein: 25
- Cholesterol: 75