Stuffed Acorn Squash
- Serves: 6
- Preparation Time: 20 minutes
- Total Cooking time: 45 minutes
One of the seasonal bounties associated with the harvest months is winter squash. These are hard shelled vegetables in the gourd family with a typically orange, sweet flesh that compliments itself to roasting with butter and traditionally, brown sugar. This recipe instead uses the sweetness of the roasted squash as a counter point to a savory sausage stuffing made with cornbread, sautéed mushrooms and roasted garlic. This can also very easily be converted to a vegetarian meal by omitting the sausage with delicious results.
| Amount | Measure | Ingredients |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | large | acorn squash halved and seeded |
| 2 | 12 oz | boxes cornbread stuffing mix spice packet removed |
| 3/4 | lb | sweet Italian sausage (omit for vegetarian recipe) browned and crumbled |
| 2 | cup | sliced mushrooms, sautéed in butter until lightly browned |
| 1 | cup | chicken, turkey, or vegetable stock |
| 1 | cup | red onion, diced |
| 1 | cup | celery diced |
| 4 | cloves | roasted garlic chopped coarsely (wrap raw garlic cloves in tin foil and roast over high heat of stove until sweet smelling) |
| 1 | Tbsp | vermouth |
| 1 | large | egg beaten |
| Salt and pepper to taste |
To prepare:
Combine the stuffing mix, Italian sausage, mushrooms and the butter they were cooked in, celery, garlic and onions mix well to combine ingredients then add the stock, beaten egg, salt, pepper, and vermouth. Mix until well blended. Scoop into hollowed out squash shells and place on a baking sheet at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes or until the squash is easily pierced with a fork. Serve immediately, garnishing with a sprig of sage.
