Sausage Stuffed Squash

Sausage stuffed squash.  Go ahead and say that really fast three times in a row!  I was faced with a mild dilemma yesterday.  Combined lack of grocery shopping, lack of time to do so, and the question of how to feed two boys whose idea of cooking is pizza in a box when I am not going to be home at dinnertime.  I dislike processed foods, so I do my best to make sure my hubs and brother don't resort to that option when I'm gone.  I needed something that was fairly quick to make, reheated well and was something they would eat.  The freezer was silently mocking as I debated on what to do with two pounds of really nice sausage.  I had three different types of squash - two types of baking pumpkin and one lonely acorn squash.  When in doubt, pull out Granny's Good Housekeeping Cookbook.

I found a recipe for stuffed squash.  But they used (gak) hot dogs.  Reading on, there was a recipe to use sausage.  Score!  I just adapted it to be a bit healthier and voila.  Something suspicious for the boys to wonder what the tree hugger has concocted this time.  I perused the produce.  I had one red delicious apple, onions, miscellaneous lettuces, tomatoes and radishes.  I selected the apple, some red mustard greens and the onion.  Sauteed the sausage with some onion as the squash baked in the oven.  Once they were done, I mixed everything together and baked for another 10 minutes.

The end result?  They loved it and barely saved one for me to eat when I got home (of which half was more than enough).  The apple added enough natural sugar and the mustard enough tang to complement the sausage nicely.

The Ingredients:
Choice of 3 squash - the acorn squash held up the best
2 pounds cooked premium sausage (no added sugar or wheat)
1 medium chopped onion
1 cup chopped raw mustard greens, stems removed
1 apple cubed
Garlic chives to taste
Extra virgin olive oil - enough to coat the inside of squash

Preheat oven to 400.  Coat insides of squash with enough olive oil to keep moist - I would estimate 1 to 1 1/2 Tablespoons for each. Place squash cut side down onto baking pan and bake for about 20 minutes.  Note: I followed the cookbook and baked it for 30 minutes and after cooking it the second time after stuffing it seemed overdone to me.  Meanwhile, brown the sausage with the onion until cooked.  Once that is done, mix the chopped mustard greens, apple and garlic chives in a bowl.  Remove squash from oven and stuff carefully - they are h-o-t!  Return stuffed squash back into oven for ten minutes.  Allow them to cool slightly before serving.  Ultimately this should feed 4 - 6 people, since the boys had two each, I had one and I shared one with my neighbor.