Stuffed Acorn Squash With Wild Rice And Italian Sausage Food

SUNNY'S ITALIAN SAUSAGE-STUFFED ACORN SQUASH

Steps:

• For the squash: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Place the squash on a baking sheet flesh-side up and rub with the olive oil. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Roast until the edges begin to ripple and a poke with a fork reveals tender flesh, about 40 minutes. Allow to cool until easy to handle.
• Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F.
• Use a spoon to scoop out the flesh into a large bowl, leaving about 1/4 inch of flesh within the skin of each squash half to help it maintain its shape.
• For the filling: In a large pan on medium-high heat, add the olive oil and sausage. While cooking, break the sausage into bits like ground meat with a wooden spoon. Once some of the fat is rendered from the sausage, add the onions, paprika, pumpkin pie spice, sage, celery, bell peppers and a pinch of salt. Cook until the sausage is done and the vegetables are tender.
• Add the mixture to the bowl of squash along with the cheese, walnuts and cranberries and stir to combine. Taste and season with salt and pepper if needed. Fill the hollowed squash halves with the mixture and place back in the oven to melt the cheese and make the tops golden brown, 15 more minutes. Sprinkle with parsley and serve warm.

SUNNY'S QUICK WILD RICE AND SAUSAGE STUFFED SQUASH

Steps:

• For the squash: Prick the squash all over with a fork. Place on a plate and microwave, flipping halfway through, until cooked through, 10 to 15 minutes. Let cool until easy to handle.
• Cut off the squash stem, then cut the squash in half lengthwise and use a spoon to scoop the flesh into a large bowl, discarding the seeds and leaving about 1/4 inch of flesh within the skin to help maintain its shape. Level off the squash halves so they rest without tilting by cutting a tiny slice off each skin side. Place on a baking sheet, flesh-side up.
• Add the rice, bocconcini, raisins, walnuts, a pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper to the bowl with the scooped squash and mix well to combine.
• For the sausage: Add the olive oil, onions, sausage, curry powder, thyme and salt and pepper to taste to a large pan over medium-high heat. Cook, breaking up the sausage into small crumbles, until the sausage is cooked through, 5 to 10 minutes. Add to the bowl with the squash and stir to combine.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Fill the hollowed squash halves with the mixture and roast it until the cheese melts and the tops are golden brown, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle with the cilantro, drizzle over some olive oil and serve warm.

WILD RICE STUFFED ACORN SQUASH

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease 2 baking pans, and place the cleaned-out squash, cut sides down, into the pans. Bake in the preheated oven until barely soft to the touch, about 25 minutes.
• Make the stuffing mix as instructed on the package, and set aside.
• Melt the butter over medium heat in a saucepan, and cook and stir the onion and garlic until the onion is translucent, about 10 minutes. Stir in the mushrooms, and cook and stir until they give up their juice, about 5 more minutes. Add the rice mix and sage, and cook and stir the rice and vegetables until the vegetables begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Pour in the vegetable stock, stir to combine, cover, and reduce heat. Simmer the rice mixture until tender, 30 to 40 minutes.
• Lightly mix the cooked rice mixture with the stuffing in a bowl, and pile the mixture into the centers of the squash without packing it. Return the stuffed squash to the oven and bake until the squash are tender and the stuffing is hot, about 15 more minutes.

SAUSAGE AND RICE STUFFED ACORN SQUASH

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. I cut a sliver of skin off the middle of the.
• back sides of the cut squash to "give it legs" (so that when it's right-side up and stuffed it doesn't roll around). Spray squash with cooking spray and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place cut side down on a baking sheet and roast 30 minutes.
• 2. Meanwhile, bring water to boil. Add pinch of salt and both rice, and stir. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes.
• 3. Preheat nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add sausage and cook until no longer pink and crumbled. Remove from pan and drain.
• 4. Add olive oil to pan and next 8 ingredients. Saute until tender, 5-10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• 5. Combine cooked rice, sausage, and vegetable mix in large bowl. Add cranberries and 1/2 cup shredded cheese. Toss to combine. Add beaten egg and toss until thoroughly coated.
• 6. Stuff cavities of squash with filling and mound on top to use all filling. Cover and bake 30 minutes, until stuffing is almost set. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cheese and bake uncovered to melt, another 10 minutes.
• 7. Allow to cool and enjoy!
• **EDIT**: I did my prep while stuff was cooking, so I just put total time, start to finish (including prepping the squash), under cooking time. And another side note, I have some awesome pictures and having issues downloading them.

BLACK WILD RICE-STUFFED ACORN SQUASH

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Cut the squash in half lengthwise and use a spoon to scoop out the seeds and discard. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place cut-side down on the lined baking sheet and bake until tender, 25 to 30 minutes. Leave the oven on at 400 degrees F.
• Heat the butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat until the butter is melted. Add the breadcrumbs, increase the heat to medium high and cook, stirring constantly, until the breadcrumbs begin to turn golden brown. Stir in the parsley and garlic salt. Transfer to a dish.
• Wipe the skillet clean. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Saute the mushrooms and leeks until tender, 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in the kale and garlic and cook until the kale wilts, about 5 minutes. Stir in the rice, currants, soy sauce, honey and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper.
• Scoop some of the mixture into the cavity of each acorn squash half and top with the reserved breadcrumbs. Bake until heated through, 25 to 30 minutes.

STUFFED ACORN SQUASH WITH WILD RICE AND ITALIAN SAUSAGE

Steps:

• Cook wild rice according to package instructions
• Preheat the oven to 425 F
• Cut and seed acorn squash, brush 1/2 tsp EVOO over cut sides. Salt. Place cut size down on parchment baking sheet
• Bake at 425 for 20 minutes until almost fully tender
• Heat remaining 1/2 tsp oil in large skillet and brown the crumbled sausage. Add onions and celery and cook 5 minutes
• Add mushrooms, cook 4 minutes
• Add garlic and thyme, cook 1 minute
• Add torn Swiss chard leaves and stir in until wilted
• Remove from heat and stir in cooked rice, remaining salt to taste, chopped parsley, lemon juice, and pepper
• Spoon 1/3-1/2 C of mixture into squash cavity. Bake at 425 for 10-15 minutes until they are lightly browned
• Top with shredded cheese right out of the oven, if you desire

ACORN SQUASH STUFFED WITH SAUSAGE AND RICE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
• Poke holes in the flesh of the squash with a fork. Coat flesh with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place on a baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven until flesh is tender, 40 to 50 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside until cool enough to handle, 10 to 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Meanwhile, combine rice, chicken broth, and water in a rice steamer. Seal and select setting according to manufacturer's instructions; cook until tender, about 18 to 20 minutes.
• Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir sausage in the hot skillet, breaking it up with a spoon, until some of the fat has rendered, about 5 minutes. Add onion, bell pepper, and celery; cook until sausage is completely browned and crumbly and vegetables are tender, 3 to 5 more minutes. Stir in sage, pumpkin pie spice, and paprika, and season with salt and pepper. Cook for another minute, then set aside.
• Scoop flesh from the cooled squash halves, leaving about 1/4 inch squash to retain structure. Place squash flesh in a bowl with sausage mixture, Cheddar cheese, and cranberries. Mix to combine then taste and adjust seasonings, if needed. Scoop filling into the squash shells and top with additional Cheddar cheese, if desired.
• Bake in the oven until cheese is melted and bubbly and the tops are nicely browned, about 15 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.