Acorn squash is roasted then stuffed with an apple, onion and sausage mixture. It is finished with a layer of bacon and cooked until the bacon is crispy. Once removed from the oven, the bacon is brushed with maple syrup for a satisfying Fall dinner.

I love September. I love the clear blue skies, the gradually cooling nights, the lingering touches of Summer, and most of all I love the food. Even when I lived in the tropics, September turned my mind to comfort food. Melted cheese, soups, winter squash and stews.

Now that I am home in North Carolina, I am free to indulge in all things Fall. Last weekend I went apple picking at a nearby orchard. As usual, this resulted in bags of apples to be gifted to my friends and family as the fun of picking apples in no way equals my ability to eat them.

So many apples!

On Monday, I got out my decorations. I love the way a few seasonal touches refresh the feel and look of my house. And I was super stoked to receive the first of my Decocrated Subscription Boxes. If you like to decorate for the season, you should check them out. I am really impressed by the quality of the items in my first box.

And then I went to the store and spent a lovely time walking through the aisles enjoying all the produce and foods of Autumn on display.

There are three supermarkets near me–so I have a pretty large range of seasonal items to choose from. But Trader Joe’s is one of the best!

After all of that I came home and made my dinner: Apple and Sausage Stuffed Acorn Squash with Bacon. It was so delicious I decided I had to share it with you!

First, slice the squash in half lengthwise and remove seeds. Add about 1 inch of water to a rimmed baking tray and bake the squash cut-side down for 40 minutes.

The hardest thing about this recipe is cutting the squash in half

While the squash is cooking, prepare the filling. Sauté some good quality Italian sausage meat in a frying pan. Break the meat up with a fork and don’t stir it too often until it starts to get brown and a little crispy. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to scrape up the brown yummy bits.

The crispy browned bits are the best part!

Remove the sausage from the pan and add a little oil then add some apples and onions. Cook them until the apples are soft and the onions are translucent.

Now put the sausage meat back in the pan and season the whole thing with some salt and a touch of cinnamon. Set this aside until the squash is ready.

Once the squash is soft to the touch take it out of the oven and turn it cut side up on the pan. Turn the oven up to 425 degrees.

Fill the cavities in the center of the squash with the apple-sausage mixture, really mounding it. And now the best part! Bacon!

Cut two slices of bacon/per squash in half and layer them over the sausage stuffing.

Put the squash back in the oven and cook it until the bacon is the way you like it. (For me, that’s crispy!).

Put the finished squash on a plate and brush the bacon with some maple syrup.

And there you have it, Fall on a plate.

APPLE AND SAUSAGE STUFFED ACORN SQUASH WITH BACON

Servings 2 people

Author Susan Murray, www.awomancooksinasheville.com

Ingredients

1 Acorn squash
½ lb Italian sausage meat
1 small apple
½ small onion
1-2 tbsp oil
½ tsp cinnamon
Salt
4 slices of bacon
1 tbsp maple syrup

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Prepare a roasting pan by lining it with aluminum foil. Add 1” of water to the pan.
Cut the squash in two lengthwise and place cut side down on the prepared pan.
Roast for 40 minutes.
While squash is roasting, prepare the sausage stuffing.
Over medium heat, cook the sausage meat in 1 tablespoon of oil, breaking the meat up with a fork, until the meat is crumbled and browned. Use a wooden spatula to scrap up the brown bits from the pan. Remove the sausage to a bowl and add another tablespoon of oil to the pan.
Peel and dice the apple and ½ of small onion.
Add the apple and onion to the pan and cook until the apple is soft, and the onion is translucent.
Return the sausage meat to the pan and stir everything together. Season with ½ teaspoon of cinnamon and salt to taste.
When the acorn squash is soft to the touch, remove it from the oven and turn right side up in the pan.
Increase the oven temperature to 475.
Mound the sausage stuffing in the cavity of the squash.
Cut four slices of bacon in half and place four half slices over the sausage stuffing in the squash.
Return the squash to the oven and cook until the bacon is brown and crispy, 15-20 minutes.
Brush the bacon with maple syrup and serve immediately.