stuffed acorn squash

i feel like i should always apologize for the quality of my photographs.  so, i apologize for the quality of my photographs.

a few weekends ago our co-op provided us with some acorn squash.  this is another vegetable (or fruit?) i was unfamiliar with so i really had no idea what to do with it.  then, my husbands cousin included a link to a couple of recipes on her personal blog that gave me the idea to stuff it.

the first recipe is from 101cookbooks which is one of my favorite sites but the reality is her cooking skills are far more superior than mine and a lot of her creations intimidate the heck out of me.  her version of stuffed acorn squash looks amazing but, i'm not really all that excited about how far i'll have to run after consuming that much melted cheese so, i was a bit more inspired to adapt my version from this cornbread stuffed recipe from two blue lemons.  

the first thing you'll need to do is bake up a batch of cornbread enough time ahead that it will cool down a bit for handling.  now, you could either get all fancy and make a homemade cornbread or, be lazy like i was and buy quick mix (yep, i did that).  

then, prepare the stuffing while the cornbread is cooling but before you get started, roast the acorn squash in a pre-heated 425 degree oven by cutting each in half, de-seeding and then drizzling each half with olive oil, pepper and a little bit of salt.

for the stuffing, sauté the onion in olive oil over medium heat until soft (about eight minutes) and then add the crushed garlic, rosemary, red pepper, thyme and oregano for another two or three minutes.  

once the onions are cooked, remove them from the pan into a large bowl and then add the sausage (casings removed) to the pan and cook until done while breaking up each link with the back of a spatula.

after the sausage is cooked through, add it to the bowl of onions and crumble the cornbread into the bowl.  my mix made a 9x13 pan so i only used 2/3 of the cornbread and then let the kids and the husband eat the rest with a little honey butter as a side.

once the stuffing is mixed together, remove the squash from the oven and turn the heat down to 350 degrees.  

generously fill each squash with the stuffing making sure to press firmly with your hands. 

see how pretty .... 

finish baking the stuffed squash for another 45-60 minutes until the tops are browned and the squash is soft (poke with a fork).

eat and enjoy!

this dish is seriously filling and it is a little spicy so if you prefer a milder version, just add less pepper or, none at all.

stuffed acorn squash

3 acorn squash
olive oil to drizzle
salt & pepper

1 batch cornbread quick mix (or, homemade cornbread)

5-6 apple maple chicken sausage links, casings removed
2 tbsp olive oil

2 medium onions, diced
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp rosemary
1/2 tsp thyme (i used fresh thyme)
1/2 tsp oregano

serves easily 6 if not more because, as i said, they're really filling and really delicious!