Maple Glazed Acorn Squash with Sausage, Apple and Sage

Stuffed acorn squash with sausage is one of those perfect dinners that celebrates the bounty of Fall. The sweet and nutty qualities of acorn squash mesh perfectly with the savory, tart flavors of sausage and apples. This squash is rich in fiber, vitamin C, potassium and magnesium making it as healthy as it is tasty. Feel free to sub in your favorite protein or try a vegetarian version.

Maple Glazed Acorn Squash with Apple and Sage

Serves 6

• 3 small acorn squash
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup Italian sausage, browned (you can sub in your favorite protein)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 an onion, diced
• 1 cup diced apple
• 2 tablespoons chopped sage
• salt and pepper to taste
• Splash white wine
• 2 cups chopped kale
• 1/2 cup maple pecans (recipe below) or toasted pecans
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• fresh grated Parmesan, optional 
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees
• Cut Acorn Squash lengthwise and scoop out seeds with a spoon ( or scoop after baking!).  Brush insides with a mix of 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon maple syrup. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper and lay skin-side up on a greased, or parchment lined baking sheet, and roast in a hot oven for 30-40 minutes, until you can pierce through skin and flesh with a fork. Remove from the oven and turn over and let cool. Place in a baking dish.
• While squash is roasting in the oven, brown Italian sausage, set aside and wipe out pan.
• In the same pan, saute onions in olive oil on medium heat, until tender, about 10 minutes.
• Add apples, kale and sage, and saute 5 more minutes, until apples are tender. You may need to add a little more olive oil. Generously salt and Pepper to taste.
• Splash with a little white wine and add kale and pecans. When wine has evaporated, add 1 T maple syrup. Add sausage back in the pan. Fill the squash with the apple, sausage mixture and top with Parmesan (optional). Place in a 350 F until heated through (about 15-20 minutes)

To Make Maple Pecans

1. Pre heat oven to 400F
2. In a small bowl, coat pecans with real maple syrup (only real maple will work here) Add a pinch of salt and some cracked pepper. Spread out on a greased baking sheet and using a timer, bake 8 minutes to start, in a 400 F oven, give them a mix, then bake another 2-3 minutes, keep a close eye on these to make sure they don’t burn.
3. Remove, let cool 3-4 minutes, then use a spatula to unstick them from the pan. Then let cool completely. Adapted from: Feasting Table