Chicken Apple Sausage Stuffed Acorn Squash

This dinner is fall squished into a squash. Need I say more? YUM. I made this as an experiment, and then made it again two nights later. I can’t get enough of it! And in addition to it tasting absolutely delicious, it’s a pretty presentation. The portions below are for four servings. Portions can be adjusted easily if cooking for more people… or if you’re me and plan on eating it all week long 😉

Ingredients

2 Acorn Squash
1 Cup Quinoa
4 Chicken Apple Sausage, sliced
16+ Brussel Sprouts, sliced thin
1/2 Small Yellow Onion, diced
1 Honey Crisp Apple, diced
2 Handfuls Dried Cranberries
3 Tablespoons Maple Syrup
2 Teaspoon Cinnamon
2 Teaspoon Brown Sugar
4 Tablespoons Butter
Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper, to taste

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Slice the squash in half, crosswise, and scoop out the seeds. You can also slice a small piece off the bottoms so that they can sit straight on a plate. Place the squash halves, scooped-sides down in a shallow baking pyrex dish with a 1/4 inch of water. Bake for around 20-25 minutes. Turn the squash over and cross-hatch the flesh with a knife. Melt 1 tbsp of butter in each squash half, spreading all over the flesh, and then add a pinch of brown sugar in each center. You can also just season with a drizzle of olive oil and salt & pepper if you would prefer less sweetness. Continue to bake the squash, cut-side up, for another 25 minutes, or until the flesh can easily be pierced.

While the squash is roasting, cook the quinoa as directed. Set aside when done.

In a pan, heat olive oil to medium high heat. Add the diced onion and brussel sprouts. Cook until softened, about 8-10 minutes. Throw in the sliced chicken sausage – try to get each piece to sear on the pan and cook through. Add the diced apples and cook for a few more minutes until the apples get soft but not mushy. Next, turn down the heat & add the cranberries, maple syrup, cinnamon and a pinch of brown sugar. Then add the quinoa and mix well – adjust sweetness level to your liking with the maple syrup & brown sugar. Scoop the quinoa sausage mixture into the acorn squashes and serve hot. Kick it up a notch and serve with a bourbon cider cocktail. Happy Fall Y’all!