Roasted Acorn Squash Stuffed with Sausage and Apples

Nothing feels more like fall than crisp, cool mornings and the aroma of roasted acorn squash, sausage, apples and sage filling the house at dinner time. I absolutely love this time of year. Along with the weather changing, so does my taste in food. This is definitely something you can make ahead of time and bake off before dinner.












Ingredients:

2 Acorn Squash, Halved Lengthwise and remove seeds
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 lb Italian Turkey Sausage (Regular Sweet Italian Sausage can be substituted)
1 Macintosh Apple, peeled, cored and chopped
1 Small Yellow Onion
5 Baby Portabella Mushrooms Chopped
2 Cloves of Garlic
3 Tablespoons of Unsalted Butter
2 Tablespoons of light brown sugar
1 Tablespoon Ground Dried Sage
1/4 Cup Fresh Grated Parmesan Reggiano
Kosher Salt and Fresh Cracked Pepper To Taste












Preheat oven to 400° F. Place cut, and seeded Acorn squash on a baking sheet cut side up. Brush liberally with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast until the squash is fork tender but still holds its form. The cooking time will vary depending on the size squash you have. Mine usually take around 40 to 45 minutes.

While the squash is roasting, heat a skillet over medium heat. Cook and break apart sausage until no longer pink. Add the chopped onion, mushrooms, apple, and garlic to the sausage. Continue to saute until the apples are tender, then add the parmesan, brown sugar, and sage. Mix until throughly combined.

Scoop out most of the squash leaving a 1/4 inch shell. Add the squash pulp to the sausage mixture along with 1 Tablespoon of butter and gently stir. Stuff the squash halves with with the sausage and apple mixture and bake in the oven, uncovered for another 20 minutes. I like to sprinkle a little fresh parmesan on the top before serving.