This sausage and wild rice stuffing is so tasty, you can eat it on its own, but stuffed in a pre-baked acorn squash, it's simply divine! Easy enough for a weeknight, fancy enough for a special occasion. Try this stuffing as a gluten free alternative to traditional stuffing. Make a vegetarian or vegan option as shown in notes.
Brush cut sides of squash with oil and season with salt and pepper. Place cut-side down on baking sheet and roast until tender for ~30 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside. (Pro Tip: Before cooking, slice a piece off the bottom of each squash half so they will sit upright when stuffed. Soften the squash before cutting as shown on page 13.)
Meanwhile, cook rice blend according to package directions. It will take ~45 minutes. When cooked through, fluff with fork, add dried cranberries, cover, and let stand 5 minutes to plump up cranberries.
In large skillet, cook and crumble sausage until brown browned and cooked through. Remove cooked sausage and set aside. Add onions and carrots and sauté for 3-4 minutes until onion is translucent and carrot is tender. Add garlic, thyme and sage and cook until fragrant, 1 minute.
Stir in cooked rice, sausage, apples, nuts and parsley. Cook for 3 minutes to heat through. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
Fill each squash half with rice mixture, pressing down gently.
Bake for an additional 15-20 minutes, or until filling is heated through and tops are slightly browned.
Serve each person half an acorn squash as a main dish or serve as a side dish. Place halves on table for people to scoop out portions for themselves or cut into smaller portions before setting on table.
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Notes
Make it vegetarian/vegan: Replace sausage with mushrooms, add ½ cup walnuts or pecans with apples and use vegetable stock.Extra stuffing: Enjoy extra stuffing as a side with another meal or add to a soup. Stuffing will keep in fridge for 3-4 days. It can be frozen, but texture may change slightly.Try this delicious stuffing as is without squash or use it in other squash like delicata, carnival or butternut.