Stuffed Acorn Squash

Sometimes it’s just all about presentation . . . and the Holidays are a terrific time to present!

I saw a picture of a stuffed acorn squash recipe that inspired my desire to make this. However, when I went to the market for groceries I only found white acorn squash, something I had never had before, and not sure I’ve ever even seen before. Besides being something a little bit different, it was delicious!

The stuffing is simple to make so it ends up being an easy side dish, actually it is filling enough it could be a main dish for some. For the simplicity of the recipe it really presents well and tastes great!

Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS -

2 medium acorn squash, green or white!
3 Tbsp olive oil, divided
Salt and pepper
1 cup sweet onion, diced
10 oz Italian sausage, sweet or spicy, your preference
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
4 oz fresh spinach
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup pecans, chopped

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Prepare the acorn squash by cutting it in half, then trim both ends off so that it will sit flat. Scoop out the seeds with a spoon.

Drizzle 2 tablespoons of olive oil over the inside of the acorn squash and rub it in with your hands. Season with salt and pepper. Turn the squash over so that the cut side is down and place on a baking sheet or pan with parchment paper, this makes the clean up so much easier! Place in the preheated oven and cook for 30 minutes.

While the squash is cooking, prepare the sausage filling. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet, when it is heated add the onion and cooked for 3-4 minutes until soft. Add the minced garlic, crumbled sausage, and Italian seasoning and cook until the sausage is done. Add the fresh spinach and cook for another 5 minutes. Stir in the dried cranberries and pecans and mix together. Season with salt and pepper to your taste.

The squash should have cooked for 30 minutes by now so remove it from the oven and turn to open side up. Stuff the acorn squash by dividing the sausage mixture evenly between the four squash halves.

Lower the oven heat to 350 and bake for 20 minutes until the mixture is heated through.