Stuffed Acorn Squash

I was given two huge and beautiful Acorn Squashes last week and wanted to come up with something yummy to make out of them! After seeing the following recipe on Clean Eating Magazine's blog, I wanted to try it out and it. was. amazing. The Acorn squash had a smooth, creamy texture which the onions and celery balanced out with crunch. The chicken was flavorful and moist with the addition of the Greek yogurt - it was so good! I had a pretty large squash so we each only ate half of our half and I scooped out the rest and mixed it all together for leftovers tonight. I already can't wait. :)


Stuffed Acorn Squash
Adapted from Clean Eating Magazine
Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 2 medium acorn squash
• 1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt and fine ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 fresh spicy chicken or turkey sausage, casings removed, crumbled (I used ground chicken as I didn't have any sausage on hand and seasoned it with salt, pepper, cumin, red pepper flakes and cayenne pepper)
• 1 cup yellow onion, diced small
• 1 cup celery, diced small (reserve leaves for garnish - I didn't do this)
• 1 tbsp garlic, minced
• 1 cup fresh spinach, washed and stemmed
• 8 oz low-fat sour cream (I used Greek Yogurt)
• 1/4 cup Parmigiano Reggiano, grated

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 F.
2. Begin by slicing squash lengthwise. With a spoon, remove seeds to create a clean cavity for stuffing.
3. Season cut side of squash with salt and pepper. Brush with oil and place cavity-side-down on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake squash until fork tender, approximately 45 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, in a large saute pan over medium heat, brown sausage until cooked through (I added my spices here). Drain on a paper-towel-lined plate, if necessary.
5. Return saute pan to medium-low heat and add onion and celery. Sweat over low heat, scraping fond (sausage bits that have stuck to the bottom of the pan) until onions become translucent.
6. Add garlic to onion mixture and saute until aromatic, approximately 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
7. In a large bowl, combine sausage, onion mixture, spinach and sour cream. Stir well to combine and season, if necessary.
8. When squash are tender, remove from oven and flip over so cavity is facing upwards. Divide stuffing evenly between the 4 halves. Sprinkle with cheese.

1. Bake squash for an additional 15 minutes at 350 F until stuffing is heated throughout and top begins to turn golden brown. Garnish with reserved celery leaves (I didn't) and serve.

Nutrients per half stuffed squash: Calories: 260, Total Fat: 10 g, Sat. Fat: 4.5 g, Carbs: 34 g, Fiber: 5 g, Sugars: 11 g, Protein: 12 g, Sodium: 310 mg, Cholesterol: 35 mg.