Caramelized Onion Sausage Stuffed Acorn Squash

My friend really enjoyed this one a while ago and I finally gave it a try. I ended up doubling the entire recipe to make enough for eight meals, with the exception of only using 8 sausage links and 3 small/med squashes. (I made two extra meals for my mom, decided I only needed one sausage link per meal, and I ended up scooping out extra squash to complete the two extra meals.) I was a little nervous to meal prep this recipe because I've never had acorn squash before, but it was an amazing pair with the chicken sausage, apples, and caramelized onions. All the comforting fall foods! I totally forgot to add in the spinach, but I did make some roasted brussels sprouts with some of the diced apples I set aside. If you need to change up your typical meal prep, this was a flavorful, comforting, and tasty meal that I really enjoyed!

Caramelized Onion Sausage Stuffed Acorn Squash
Ingredients:

• 2 small/med acorn squash, cut in half lengthwise and seeds/strings scooped out
• 1 lb sweet Italian sausage, casings removed, sugar free* (I used Nature's Promise Mild Italian Chicken Sausage, found at local grocery store)
• 1 large onion (or 2 small) cut in half and sliced thin
• 3 tbsp ghee, coconut oil, or other cooking fat (for caramelizing the onions) + 2 tsp (for sauteing the garlic)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 medium-large apple, cored and diced
• 2 cups fresh spinach, roughly chopped
• 1 Tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
• 2 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
• sea salt and black pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Place the 4 acorn squash halves (seeds removed) open-side down on the baking sheet and roast in the preheated oven for about 20-30 minutes, or until the top of your squash feels tender when gently pressed. You can always check them and continue to roast a few more minutes if they aren't tender enough. Set aside after removing from oven.
3. While the squash roasts, make the filling. Begin by caramelizing the onions (this process takes a good 20-25 minutes to really bring the flavor out!)
4. In a medium skillet, heat the ghee or coconut oil over low heat and add all the onions, stirring to coat. Sprinkle with a bit of salt and cook over low heat, stirring every 5 minutes ago to prevent burning. Once onions have been cooking for about 25 minutes and are deep golden brown, remove from heat and set aside.
5. While the squash roasts and the onions cook, heat a large saucepan over medium low heat and add the remaining 2 tsp cooking fat to melt. Add the garlic and cook until just tender, then add all the sausage and increase the heat to medium.
6. Cook the sausage and stir to break up lumps, about 5-8 minutes until just browned. Add the apples and herbs and continue to cook, stirring until the apples soften. Add the spinach and a pinch of salt and pepper and cook, stirring, until the spinach wilts.
7. Add the caramelized onions to the sausage mixture, leaving excess cooking fat in the pan. Preheat your broiler, then fill all 4 halves of the squash with the stuffing mixture (you may have leftover depending on how big your squash was)
8. Arrange the squash on the baking sheet, stuffing side up, and put under the broiler for 5-10 minutes until the tops get nice and toasty, checking often to prevent burning. Once nice and browned, remove from oven, allow to cool a bit and then serve warm. Enjoy!

NOTES
*Check labels or look out for your local store's store-made sausage, since they usually leave out sugar and preservatives. You can also check out the sugar free pork breakfast sausage from U.S. Wellness Meats, or their sugar free Italian Sausage links!

​Original recipe found here