Sausage & Quinoa Stuffed Acorn Squash

Yield Serves 4
RECIPE Ingredients
  • 2 medium acorn squash
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • Salt & freshly ground black pepper
  • ½ cup quinoa, rinsed well (we used rainbow quinoa)
  • 1½ cup chicken stock, divided use
  • 1 package Wild Boar Sausage
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 bunch Hon-Shimeji Mushrooms (about 2 cups), chopped
  • 3-inch section leek, white and light green part only, halved and thinly sliced
  • ½ cup dried cranberries, chopped
Recipe notes
In this easy recipe, acorn squash is stuffed with a mixture of wild boar sausage, quinoa, mushrooms, leeks, and dried cranberries.
RECIPE Preparation
  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
  2. Cut each squash in half and discard seeds. Cut a small slice off the bottom of each half to make a stable base. Brush the cut sides of each squash with about a tablespoon of the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place them cut-side down on a sheet pan and bake until tender, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and gently turn each squash cut-side up, set aside.
  3. To a small saucepan over medium-high heat, stir together 1 cup chicken stock and quinoa; season with a pinch of salt. Bring the mixture to a boil then lower the heat to a simmer. Cook until liquid is completely absorbed and quinoa is fluffy, about 15-20 minutes.
  4. Remove the casings from sausage. The easiest way to do this is to make a cut lengthwise down each sausage and peel the casing away. Heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and crumble sausage into the pan. Cook sausage, breaking it up with a spatula, until cooked through and nicely browned. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside.
  5. To the same pan, add butter. When melted add mushrooms leeks; season with salt and pepper. Sauté until mushrooms have softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in reserved sausage and quinoa. Add remaining ½ cup of chicken stock and cranberries, turn to mix well. Remove from heat.
  6. Split the stuffing mixture between the 4 squash halves. Bake until heated through and lightly golden brown, about 15 minutes. Serve.

Recipe tips: Stuffing can be made a day ahead of time and refrigerated until ready to bake the squash.