Fall Edition!
Fall begins and so does my obsession with all of the yummy flavors and produce that are in season! Last night this roasted fall stuffed acorn squash recipe was born! This recipe was actually inspired by my husband who always loved basic acorn squash that his grandfather use to make him when he was a little boy. However this is the FIRST time I’ve ever cooked it! Or roasted it for that matter!
I winged this recipe and it came out delish! Perfect bowl of fall yumminess for a chilly night! Make sure to follow the little steps that make a big difference in flavor! Primarily how you heat up your oil and flavoring the apples!
Variations!
Other variations of this stuffing include adding cranberries, making it vegetarian by removing the sausage and adding rice or cauliflower rice. This version is on the sweet side since I used Apple Chicken Sausage from Trader Joe’s therefore I generously added salt to make all the flavors pop. If you use regular pork sausage you would probably get that salty bite against the sweet flavors but I prefer to add the feta for a pop!
There are plenty of add in veggies that can be substituted as well! Just take a look in your refrigerator and start pulling your favorite hearty veggies and have fun with the ingredients.
If you like the sounds of this dish you will also like our other favorite! White Wine Tomato Basil Cod which is just as hearty with complex flavors! Either way I would love to hear back from you if you tried to create this meal! What have you tweaked and more importantly did it make it into your staple fall recipe list?!
Autumn Stuffed Acorn Squash
Ingredients
STUFFING
- 2 TBS OLIVE OIL
- 4 CLOVES FRESH GARLIC PRESSED
- 6 FRESH SAGE LEAVES
- 1 LARGE SWEET YELLOW ONION CHOPPED
- 5 OZ BABY BELLA MUSHROOMS CHOPPED (HALF CONTAINER)
- 1 LARGE HONEYCRISP APPLE CHOPPED
- 1/2 LEMON ADD TO APPLES
- 1 TSP SUGAR SPRINKLE ON APPLES
- 1/4 CUP APPLE CIDER DEGLAZE THE PAN
- 3 LINK TRADER JOE'S CHICKEN APPLE SAUSAGE CHOPPED
- ⅓ PIECES WALNUTS
- 3 HANDFULS KALE CHOPPED
- 1 OZ FETA CHEESE CRUMBLED
- ½ TSP THYME
- ½ TBS SALT
ACORN SQUASH
- 1 ACORN SQUASH CUT IN HALF
- 1/2 CUP APPLE CIDER
- 1/2 CUP WATER
- 1 TBSP SALTED BUTTER
Instructions
ROAST ACORN SQUASH
- TURN OVEN ON TO 425°F
- SPLIT THE ACORN SQUASH IN HALF REMOVE ALL SEEDS AND DISCARD
- PLACE THE SQUSH FLESH SIDE DOWN ON A SHEET PAN ADD 1/2 CUP OF APPLE CIDER AND WATER
- ROAST SQUASH FOR 35 MINUTES UNTIL GOLDEN AND TENDER
STUFFING
- CHOP PRE COOKED CHCKEN SAUSAGE FROM TRADER JOES BROWN IT ON A HOT BUTTERED PAN AND SET ASIDE
- ADD OLIVE OIL, FRESH PRESSED GARLIC , AND SAGE TO A COLD PAN. HEAT ALL 3 INGREDIENTS TOGETHER TO INFUSE FLAVOR INTO OIL UNTIL GARLIC IS TRANSLUCENT
- ADD CHOPPED ONION COOK UNTIL TRANSLUCENT. SEASON WITH SALT AND PEPPER
- AFTER CHOPPING APPLES DRIZZLE THEM WITH LEMON JUICE AND SPRINKLE WITH SUGAR. ADD MARINATED APPLES TO STUFFING AND COOK UNTIL TENDER
- ADD MUSHROOMS TO STUFFING AND COOK FOR 1 MINUTE
- DEGLAZE THE PAN WITH APPLE CIDER AND LET IT COOK DOWN
- FOLD BROWNED CHICKEN CUBES INTO STUFFING
- CHOP KALE AND MIX INTO STUFFING
- TOP WITH WALNUTS AND MIX
ASSEMBLE
- SCOOP OUT TOP LAYER OF ROASTED SQUASH TO MAKE ROOM FOR MORE STUFFING. YOU CAN EAT THIS ON ITS OWN OR CHOP AND ADD TO STUFFING
- FILL ACORN BOWL WITH PREPARED STUFFING
- TOP WITH FETA CHEESE
- PUT UNDER LOW HEAT BROILER FOR 5 MINUTES
- SERVE IMMEDIATELY
