Stuffed Acorn Squash

Serves: 4
Hands-on time: 15 minutes.
Total time: 1 hour.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 medium acorn squash
• 1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt and fine ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 fresh spicy chicken or turkey sausage, casings removed, crumbled
• 1 cup yellow onion, diced small
• 1 cup celery, diced small (save inner leaves for garnish)
• 1 tbsp garlic, minced
• 1 cup fresh spinach, washed and stemmed
• 8 oz low-fat sour cream
• 1/4 cup Parmigiano Reggiano, grated

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Begin by slicing squash lengthwise. With a spoon, remove seeds to create a clean cavity for stuffing.
3. Season cut side of squash with salt and pepper. Brush with oil and place cavity-side-down on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake squashuntil fork tender, approximately 45 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, in a large sautee pan over medium heat, brown sausage until cooked through. Drain on a paper-towel-lined plate, if necessary.
5. Return sautee pan to medium-low heat and add onion and celery. Sweat over low heat, scraping fond (sausage bits that have stuck to thebottom of the pan) until onions become translucent.
6. Add garlic to onion mixture and sautee until aromatic, approximately 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
7. In a large bowl, combine sausage, onion mixture, spinach and sour cream. Stir well to combine and season, if necessary.
8. When squash are tender, remove from oven and flip over so cavity is facing upwards. Divide stuffing evenly between the 4 halves. Sprinklewith cheese.
9. Bake squash for an additional 15 minutes at 350°F until stuffing is heated throughout and top begins to turn golden brown. Garnish withreserved celery leaves and serve.

Nutrients per half stuffed acorn squash: Calories: 260, Total Fat: 10 g, Sat. Fat: 4.5 g, Carbs: 34 g, Fiber: 5 g, Sugars: 11 g, Protein: 12 g, Sodium: 310 mg, Cholesterol: 35 mg.