The Farm Stand: Sausage Stuffed Acorn Squash

Sausage

Stuffed Acorn Squash

You need just 10 ingredients to make this delicious Sausage Stuffed Acorn Squash! Perfectly roasted squash is filled with sausage, farm fresh vegetables, and topped with parmesan. It’s a nourishing meal that’s quick enough for weeknights and a beautiful dish for company.

Ingredients:

• 3 medium acorn squash • 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for brushing onto the squash • 1 yellow onion, small diced • 1 red bell pepper, small diced • 2 stalks celery, small diced • 1-2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme (or half a teaspoon dried) • 3 cloves garlic, minced • 1 lb mild or hot Italian sausage, casings removed • 2 cups torn curly kale • ¾ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, divided

Directions: 1. Preheat the oven to 400° F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. 2. Slice a small piece off the top and bottom of the squash so it can sit upright, then slice the acorn squash in half widthwise (not through the stem). This will result in a pretty, scalloped edge. Scrape out the seeds. 3. Place the squash halves on the baking sheet and brush with olive oil. Turn upside down (seed side down) and roast for 25 minutes or until the squash is fork tender. 4. Meanwhile, make the filling. Over medium heat, warm 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large non-stick skillet. Add the onion, bell pepper and celery and sauté until onion is softened and turning translucent, about 3-5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. 5. Stir in the chopped fresh thyme, then add the minced garlic and sausage. Continue to sauté for another 8 minutes, or until the sausage is fully cooked. 6. Place the torn kale on top of the sausage mixture and cover the skillet to steam for 1-2 minutes. Stir and re-cover to continue steaming the kale, if necessary. Once the kale is wilted, stir in half the parmesan cheese, and remove the pan from heat. 7. Once the squash is done roasting, remove them from the oven and turn the heat up to broil. Flip the squash bowl side up and divide the filling evenly among them (pile it high, they’ll be overfull), then sprinkle on the remaining the parmesan cheese. 8. Broil for 2-3 minutes or until the cheese is melted, making sure not to over-brown the squash. Note:

To serve 6, use 3 acorn squash and divide the filling among 6 halves. Follow the remainder of recipe as written. You can also use ground meat of your choice instead of sausage and flavor it with your choice of seasonings.

By BeeWench Farm

Even in December, our farmers are producing an abundance of amazing produce. You can find all the produce needed for this recipe, and more, at the Paso Robles market on Tuesday mornto go with them. Our BeeWench Farm stand has sausage or ground pork and Italian seasoning packets from the Spice of Life to make this delicious recipe. ings. You might need to just visit the store for the Parmesan cheese. I love this dish and it paired well with a beautiful fresh salad topped with pomegranate seeds.

Our farmers market should have microgreens to top any dish, squash, radishes, green beans, carrots, Swiss chard, lettuce, tomatoes, herbs, baby squash blossoms, garlic, beets, peppers, kale, and beautiful pomegranates. There’s also fresh sourdough bread, cookies, and scones for a treat!

December is also time for tamales! Tamales are a family favorite this time of year and are tradition for many families here in our community. If you are like myself and not a tamale making pro, check out the amazing tamales from Viva Mexico Foods. They serve up fresh tamales at the Paso market every Tuesday and Saturday! Enjoy them hot and fresh or save them for a delicious dinner and get some chips and salsa This is the best time of year to cook up some whole chickens and make stock and broth to keep your warm and healthy, too! Local olive oil farms are busy this month with harvest. There are so many great local olive farms, but Jennifer with The Groves on 41 is at the Paso market every Tuesday morning. She has samples of all their amazing olive oils and recipes to go with them. Their cinnamon olive oil is my favorite this time of year for cooking with and adding to my morning oatmeal. We are so lucky to live in a place that grows amazing produce year-round. Check out your local farmers market to get the freshest ingredients for anything you are making this season. We all hope that you have wonderful holiday celebrations and are nourished well with delicious local food!