One of the niftiest things about having a CSA membership is getting those last couple of shares in December that include good storing veggies. Whether we're talking onions and garlic or taters and squash, my family gets to enjoy those amazing vegetables well into the New Year. In fact, it's often the case that I'm using up some of my last CSA veggies just about the time I'm also signing up for the next season. So this time around, I'd like to share one of my favorite CSA-inspired recipes: Sausage Stuffed Squash.
If you don't happen to have a couple of festival squash on hand, any acorn or similar winter squash will do. I also used CSA onions for this recipe, but you can use whatever you have on hand. Garlic would also be lovely in this, but I didn't bother with dicing some this time around because I wanted to keep the total prep and cook time under an hour. You could sub a lot of fresh instead of frozen veggies if time isn't an issue, of course.
I love serving these edible bowl meals with a nice salad (a simple Caesar salad is pictured above) and a glass of hard cider or chilled semi-sweet wine. Then I sit with my family, enjoy beautiful, comforting food, and share with one another about our days. What a great way to keep the winter doldrums at bay!
Sausage Stuffed Squash
- 2 festival, acorn, or similar winter squash, halved with seeds removed
- ½ pound pork sausage
- 1 small onion, peeled and chopped
- 1 pkg. cornbread stuffing mix
- ½ c. frozen corn
- ½ c. frozen peas
- ½ c. shredded cheese
Preheat the oven to 400° F. Lightly spray or brush the cut edges of the squash with olive oil and place, cut side down, on a baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven for 20-30 minutes or until tender.
While the squash bakes, prepare the stuffing. Brown the pork sausage in a nonstick skillet until browned. In the last 5 minutes of browning, add the chopped onion and continue cooking. When the meat has been fully cooked, follow the instructions on the cornbread stuffing mix package and make the stuffing in the same skillet while leaving the sausage and onions in the skillet. Add the frozen corn and peas at the same time you add the cornbread mix.
When the squash is roasted and the stuffing is ready, remove the squash from the oven and, using tongs and caution to avoid burning, carefully turn the squash halves over and spoon the sausage and stuffing mixture into each of the cavities. Sprinkle each squash half with shredded cheese.
Return the baking sheet to the oven and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Yields: 4 servings
- Preparation Time: 45 minutes