Stuffed Acorn Squash - Green Veggies - Baked Apples

Winter squash grows well in our veggie garden, so we end up with about two dozen at the end of the season. We also have vegan friends and family, so I make a similar dish using 'vegan' sausage. Because of this, and because we love Acorn squash, I look for a variety of ways to cook them. One recipe that is always a hit is a main dish that I call "Pigs in an Acorn".

Prep time: 1 hour or less

Preheat oven to 350

Ingredients:

2 Acorn Squash cut in half, (cut along the ridges) and seeded (save the seeds for later).

Stuffing:

½ pound Italian sausage (bulk, not links) (or no-meat vegan sausage removed from the casing)

½ pound Beef (I use only grass fed organic - you can also use ground turkey) Or the equivalent of TVP (Textured Vegetable Protein) reconstituted.

Cup bread crumbs (unseasoned)

1 Large egg

small sweet onion chopped

small sweet bell pepper chopped

A dash or two of Cayenne pepper

Mix all of the stuffing ingredients together in a mixing bowl.

Fill each squash half with of the stuffing mix

Cover each squash half with foil

Place them in a shallow baking pan and Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes.

Remove the foil and bake until the meat mixture is slightly browned on top - about another ten to fifteen minutes.

I check the meat temp to be sure it's at least 160 degrees.

Sides:

Green Veggies: During gardening season, I serve with either fresh broccoli or green beans, depending up on what is ready for harvest at the time. Cauliflower also goes well with this dish.

Baked Apples. Few things go better with this meal than freshly cooked apples (although in a pinch I use chunky applesauce.) Wash three or four apples (Braeburn or Macintosh work well). Cut each apple into about ten to twelve sections. Sprinkle with a little cinnamon sugar, or sugar and cinnamon. Dot with butter (optional). Place them in a baking dish, cover and bake along with the squash with the squash to save time, energy and money.

Bread: I usually serve corn bread with this meal. I cheat and use a mix. If you have a large oven (which I don't) you can cook all of these items together. Add the cornbread toward the end during the last 20 minutes or so.

Enjoy!