- 1 large Japanese pumpkin (aka kabocha squash), quartered and seeds removed
- 10 oz. spicy Italian sausage, crumbled
- 1 small onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 8 oz. fresh spinach
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- 1 cup halved and coarsely chopped walnuts
Preheat oven to 400° F. Place the quartered and deseeded squash - cut sides facing up - on a baking sheet. Roast in the preheated oven at 400° F for 30 or 40 minutes.
Make the sausage filling while the squash is being roasted in the oven. In a large skillet, heat the crumbled sausage over medium-high heat. Cook, further crumbling and stirring the sausage, for 5 minutes. Add the diced onion, minced garlic, and Italian seasoning and cook for about 5 minutes or more on medium heat until the sausage is completely cooked through.
Add the fresh spinach and cook for another 5 minutes on medium heat until the spinach wilts. Add the dried cranberries and chopped walnuts; mix everything.
By this time, you will have roasted the squash for 30 or 40 minutes. Remove them from the oven. Let it cool slightly.
Reheat the sausage mixture in the same skillet in which you made it to warm it up. Divide the sausage filling among the 4 quarters and stuff the squash until the mixture is leveled or a little bit higher. I like to place the squash quarters in the skillet the sausage mixture is in and heap it into the quarters and leave any additional sausage filling in the bottom of the skillet for anyone wanting more.
- Yields: 4 servings
- Preparation Time: 45 minutes