Garlic Herb Chicken Sausage and Quinoa Stuffed Acorn Squash

Obsessing over this fall meal. The garlicky herby parmesan quinoa sausage mixture is to die for. And stuffed in acorn squash?! Can’t get any better. Plus I brushed the squash with maple syrup before roasting. YUM. These are super simple to make but look so pretty and fancy! They would be great to entertain with.

Brushing the squash with maple and cayenne and a little cinnamon is such a nice touch to these. SO festive.

I had to stop myself from eating allll of the filling before stuffing the squash. It’s that good. If you didn’t want to deal with the whole squash roasting business you could definitely just make this filling as a side dish.

Serves 2-4

2 acorn squash, cut in half, seeds removed
1 1/2 T. olive oil
1 T. pure maple syrup
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. cayenne
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
3/4 c. quinoa
1 1/4 c. water
1/2 of a medium yellow onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 lb. chicken sausage or sausage of your choice (I used a roasted garlic and herb sausage)
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
3/4 c. freshly grated parmesan cheese
1/4 c. fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped

Preheat oven to 400℉. Combine olive oil, maple syrup, cinnamon, cayenne, and salt and pepper in a small bowl. Stir to combine. Brush squash cavities with mixture liberally. Place on baking sheet, flesh side up, and roast for 35 minutes, or until slightly golden and tender.

While squash is roasting, make the quinoa. Bring 1 1/4 c. water to a boil, and add quinoa. Cover and reduce to low. Cook for 15-18 minutes or until all liquid is absorbed. Try not to peek until about 15 minutes has gone by. Once finished, remove from heat and set aside.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add a drizzle of olive oil (about 2 T.) Add onion and garlic and sauté for 5 minutes until lightly golden. Season with salt and pepper. Add sausage, oregano, and red pepper flakes to pan, breaking up the sausage into little pieces with your spatula, and sauté for an additional 5-6 minutes until sausage is cooked through.

Add quinoa, chopped parsley, and 1/2 c. of the grated parm to pan. Stir together. By this time the squash should be finished. Remove from oven and stuff squash with filling. You may have a little leftover. Top with remaining grated parm and bake for another 6-7 minutes until cheese is nice and melty and golden. Garnish with more chopped parsley.

Serve!

How pretty and fallish?! LOVE these.