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Stuffed Acorn Squash with Sausage and Rice

The combination of feta cheese and sausage gives a savoury finish to every bite of this recipe. Extremely versatile, Stuffed Acorn Squash can be served as a side dish to complement your holiday dish or as a meal with a side salad. It’s the perfect comfort food for a crisp fall day.

Stuffed Acorn Squash with Sausage and Rice




Yield
Makes 4 servings.


Ingredients

  • 2 acorn squash, halved and seeded
  • 1 tbsp (15 mL) olive oil
  • ½ lb (225g) turkey sausage, casing removed
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 1 red pepper, finely chopped
  • 1 cup (250 mL) brown rice
  • 2 cups (500 mL) chicken broth
  • ¼ cup (50 mL) fresh chopped parsley
  • 2oz (126 g) crumbled goat cheese

Directions

  1. Heat oven to 400F (200C).
  2. Rub cut squash all over with oil and place cut side down on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet. Bake in oven until tender while preparing filling, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven and cool slightly before turning over.
  3. In deep skillet, brown sausage meat, breaking up into small pieces with the back of a wooden spoon. Transfer to plate. Add onion and pepper to the skillet and cook until onion is tender and browned, about 7 minutes. Stir in rice and cook until rice is coated, about 2 minutes. Stir in broth, scraping any brown bit from the bottom of the pan. Bring to boil, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until most of the liquid has been absorbed, about 45 minutes. Stir in reserved sausage, parsley and crumbled goat cheese and divide rice mixture evenly over the squash, packing slightly.
  4. Return to oven until heated through, about 15 minutes. Serve with a crisp green salad.

Notes

Adding some chopped nuts on top adds great flavour and crunch.
Make this a vegetarian option by replacing the turkey sausage with dry red lentils. Just add the rinsed lentils to the onions and peppers and proceed as directed.

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