Photo from & recipe adapted from Kate Kasbee @ WellVegan.com
Ingredients
- 1 large acorn squash (about 7 1/2 pounds)
- 1.5 tbsp. vegan butter, melted (or olive oil)
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- Sea salt and cracked black pepper
For the filling:
- 3/4 cup wild rice, uncooked
- 1.5 cup vegetable broth (or water)
- 1/3 cup dried cranberries
- 3/4 cup yellow onion, diced
- 1 apple, finely diced (choose your favorite, I used honeycrisp)
- 2 stalks celery, finely chopped
- 3 Apple Sage Field Roast Sausages (or pork sausages)
- 1.5 tsp. vegan butter (or olive oil)
- 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
- 3 cups baby spinach
Serves: 3
Instructions:
- Preheat your oven to 400F degrees. Cut the acorn squash in half lengthwise and slice a little bit off the outside of each half so they can sit flat. Scoop out the seeds and discard, or set them aside to roast as a snack (highly recommended).
- Combine the melted vegan butter (or oil) and the minced garlic in a small bowl. Place the acorn squash cut side up in a baking dish and brush with the garlic butter. Season with a pinch of sea salt and cracked black pepper. Roast the acorn squash for 40 minutes, or until it’s fork tender but still holds it shape.
- Meanwhile, combine the wild rice and vegetable broth in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, cover with a lid, and reduce heat to a gentle simmer. Cook for 30 to 35 minutes, until the broth is completely absorbed and the rice is tender, yet chewy. When the rice is done cooking, remove from heat and stir in the dried cranberries. Let it sit with the lid on for another 10 minutes.
- While the squash is roasting and the rice is cooking, start making your filling. Chop the onion, apple, and celery. Use a sharp knife to roughly chop the Field Roast sausages into tiny pieces, or crumble by hand into a mixing bowl.
- Melt a teaspoon of vegan butter in a non-stick pan over medium-low heat. When hot, add the onion and thyme. Sauté until the onion is soft, about 3 minutes. Fold in the crumbled Field Roast sausages and turn up the heat to medium. Continue to cook, stirring often, until the sausage turns a light golden brown, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the apple and celery to the skillet and cook for a minute more. Add the spinach and sauté until wilted, about 30 seconds. Remove from heat.
- Add the cooked wild rice to the filling and stir to combine. Adjust salt and pepper to taste (the amount will depend on how salty your vegetable broth was). By now, the squash should be done roasting. Spoon the filling into each squash half. The mounds will be pretty big, and some filling may spill into the baking dish, which is fine. Put the stuffed acorn squash back in the oven to heat through, another 5 minutes. Serve immediately.