Maple Sausage Stuffed Acorn Squash

• 2 each Acorn Squash
• 1/4 cup real maple syrup
• 16 oz Ground Pork Sausage
• 1/2 cup White Onion, chopped
• 1 medium Empire Apple, chopped
• 1/2 cup button mushrooms, chopped
• 1/3 cup Chopped mixed bell peppers
• 1/2 tbsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• 1/4 tsp dried parsley
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• pinch dried thyme

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Preheat pan on stove top to medium heat.
3. Slice Acorn Squash in half lengthwise.
4. Remove any remnant of the stem/vine before attempting to cut the squash in half.
5. Protip: You can tap on the back of the knife with a rubber mallet to get it through the squash.
6. Scoop out seeds and strings from the center of the squash.
7. In preheated pan, sear ground sausage until grease appears.
8. Add peppers, onion, mushrooms and apple to sausage, and stir in.
9. Season mix with listed seasonings, and 2 tbsp of maple syrup.
10. Reduce heat to low-high and let simmer until sausage is mostly browned and peppers, onion and apple are tender.
11. While sausage mix is simmering, trim the bottom of the acorn squash just enough so they sit flat.
12. Lightly stab the meat of the squash with a sharp knife, ensuring not to puncture the outer skin.
13. Arrange in a 9x13 baking dish and fill the bottom of the dish with water to 1/2 inch deep.
14. Divide remaing syrup, except for 4 tbsp, into the hollow of the squash halves.
15. Coat the rims of the squash with syrup.
16. Fill the halves with sausage mix, gently packing it in, until mounded over the rims of the squash.
17. Drizzle remaing syrup over sausage mix and squash.
18. Bake in oven for 45-50 minutes, until sausage mix is fully browned and squash is fork tender.
19. Enjoy!

acorn squash, maple syrup, ground pork sausage, white onion, empire apple, button mushrooms, mixed bell peppers, salt, black pepper, basil, parsley, garlic, thyme

Taken from cookpad.com/us/recipes/356054-maple-sausage-stuffed-acorn-squash (may not work)