Stuffed Squash with Chicken Sausage

Packed with grains, nuts, and greens this low carb entrée will not only leave you feeling full and satisfied, but warm you right up as the temperature drops! For this recipe I’ve used chicken sausage to give the dish incredible flavor without the extra fat, or you can make it meat-less by removing this ingredient!

Ingredients

YIELD: 4 servings

2 acorn squash

1 tablespoon maple syrup

1/2 cup brown rice

*1 package of chicken sausage (4 links)

**1/4 of a leek medium to large (thin strips the short way)

2 cloves garlic (chopped)

1/4 cup walnuts (chopped)

1 tablespoon olive oil (divided in two)

2 cups Swiss chard (rainbow or plain, chopped)

1 tablespoon sage (fresh, chopped)

1 tablespoon thyme (fresh, chopped)

1 teaspoon and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, kept separate

*Use your favorite chicken sausage purveyor, mine being Al Fresco sweet apple sausage, or spicy would also taste great!
*make a slice down the sausage link, peel the casing off and cook like ground beef for a more incorporated flavor in the dish and an even sausage to filling ratio.

**leeks are dirty, sandy vegetables so make sure to wash all of the layers well before slicing into thin strips.

Instructions:

Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees. Cut off top and bottom of squash so it will sit level.

Cut squash in half and scoop out the ‘guts’ and seeds with a spoon, making a bowl in the middle of the squash. Lay squash bowls facing up on a baking sheet. Season with 1 teaspoon of salt, ½ tablespoon of oil, maple syrup and pepper. Bake for 30 minutes or until insides are tender.

While the squash is cooking, put brown rice in a pot with 1 ½ cups of water and bring to a boil. Once rolling, turn down to simmer and cover the pan, cooking until tender (about 20 minutes).

When rice is about halfway done, put ½ tablespoon of oil in a sautee pan on medium heat. Add the leeks and cook until they start to brown; about 5 minutes. After this add the garlic and walnuts. cooking for 2 more minutes. Lastly add the chicken sausage, Swiss chard, fresh herbs, and the remainder of salt. Stir the dish occasionally until sausage is cooked through. Add the cooked rice to pan and mix.

Divide filling among the four squash evenly and garnish with leftover fresh herbs, flowers, toasted seeds, or pomegranate seeds for color and a polished look on your plate.

Nutrition facts
Servings: 4  servings, 1 stuffed squash with filling per serving

calories: 422, fat: 16g (saturated 3g), sodium: 1276g, carbs: 54g, protein: 19g, sugar: 7g, fiber: 5g

Tip from Katie’s Kitchen: SAVE YOUR SEEDS!! Move over pumpkin, there’s a new nutritious and delicious seed in town. Roast those babies with sweet or savory seasoning and throw them into a salad, have yourself a snack, or save for the garnish.