Sausage and Apples Stuffed Acorn Squash

Ingredients

• 3 large acorn squash, halved and seeds removed
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 pound hot bulk pork sausage
• 1 medium sweet onion, chopped
• 1 rib celery, sliced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 large Macintosh apple, cored and chopped
• 1 teaspoon ground sage
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme
• ½ teaspoon coarse black pepper

Directions

1. Heat oven to 400°F. Line a shallow baking pan with aluminum foil. Spray with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Place squash halves skin-side up in foil-lined pan. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until squash is fork-tender. Cool 15 minutes.
3. Peel 1 squash half and cut into ½-inch pieces.
4. In a large skillet over medium-high, heat oil. Add sausage and cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes or until browned. Add onion, celery and garlic. Cook, stirring frequently, 4 minutes or until celery is a lighter color green.
5. Add chopped squash, apples, sage, salt, thyme, and black pepper to sausage mixture and stir until combined.
6. Turn squash skin-side down. Divide sausage mixture between squash halves, filling centers of each half.
7. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until sausage mixture is heated through.

Serves: 6-8