Stuffed Butternut Squash with Italian Sausage

Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 1 hour Servings: 4 people Source:

Ingredients

For The Butternut Squash:

1 butternut squash

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

For The Filling:

1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 cups onion diced

1 tbsp garlic minced

1 cup yellow bell pepper diced

1/2 lb Italian pork sausage – nitrate-free

2 cups kale chopped

1 cup medium apple chopped

1 tbsp fresh sage chopped

1/4 cup dried cranberry

2 tbsp walnut chopped

Directions

Prepare butternut squash:

Preheat oven to 400F.

Cut squash in half lengthwise and remove seeds with a spoon.

Season the cut sides with olive oil, salt and pepper.

Place the halved squash on a baking sheet. Bake for 40-45 mins or until is tender.

While butternut squash is in the oven, make the filling by adding olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat.

Add the sausage and break it up with a wooden spoon. Cook until it's just browned. Season with salt and pepper.

Add the onions, garlic, bell pepper and saute for 3 mins.

Add kale to the pan and stir for 2-3 minutes, or until the kale is wilted. Then, add the apple and sage. Cook for another 2-3 minutes, or until the apple has softened slightly. Remove from the heat and stir in the cranberries and walnuts.

When the butternut squash halves are baked, remove from the oven. Remove some of the flesh with a fork, but leave some to eat with the filling. You just want to make room for the filling. Stuff the filling into the squash halves. Season with chopped sage if you prefer, before serving. Enjoy!

Notes

A short, stout squash will work best for this recipe.

If you have trouble cutting your butternut squash in half, you can microwave it for a couple of minutes so it softens enough to cut.

Feel free to swap the yellow bell pepper for any coloured bell pepper. Green is the least sweet and read is the sweetest.

If you prefer different ground meat, such as chicken or beef, feel free to use it in place of the ground sausage.

To store: Store leftover stuffed butternut squash in an airtight container in the fridge. You can also tightly wrap it up if you do not have a large enough container.

To reheat: Reheat the butternut squash in the microwave or oven.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/4 Calories: 301kcal (15%) Carbohydrates: 32g (11%) Protein: 11g (22%) Fat: 16g (25%) Saturated Fat: 5g (31%) Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g Cholesterol: 32mg (11%) Sodium: 405mg (18%) Potassium: 444mg (13%) Fiber: 5g (21%) Sugar: 17g (19%)