We’re halfway through October, which means Fall is in full-swing. Despite the 90+ degree heat in Southern California right now, I’m doing my best to make my kitchen smell as Fall-like as possible…we’ve got to create the façade of seasons somehow!
This acorn squash recipe is my go-to Fall meal. I make it a little differently every time, but it never fails to satisfy my Fall food craving. My recipe is below, but feel free to mix it up with some of my other suggested add-ins (at the end of the recipe)!
Ingredients
2 acorn squash
1 cup dry quinoa
1 lb spicy Italian sausage
1 onion
2 cloves of garlic
Herbs of choice (thyme and rosemary both go really well with this dish)
½ cup chopped pecans
6 oz. pomegranate seeds
4 oz. gorgonzola cheese
6 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Begin by halving each acorn squash and removing the seeds. Season each half with salt and olive oil. Place cut side down on a roasting pan and bake in a 350-degree oven for about 30 minutes, turning them to be cut side up halfway through. The squash halves should be fork tender when they are done.
In the meantime, cook the quinoa per package instructions.
Dice an onion into ½ inch cubes, and combine the onion, garlic, salt, pepper, olive oil, and herbs in a sauté pan while the squash cooks. Sauté the onion mixture until it is translucent. Then, crumble the Italian sausage and cook it with the onion mixture. Once the sausage is cooked through, mix the cooked quinoa into the sauté pan along with the chopped pecans. At the very end, mix the pomegranate seeds into the quinoa mixture (you want to wait as long as possible to do this…otherwise the seeds will cook too much and they won’t be as juicy and vibrant in the mixture).
Pull the squash out of the oven, and switch the oven to broil on high. Fill each half of the squash with a generous scoop of the quinoa mixture. Then, top each squash with gorgonzola cheese. Put the squash halves back in the oven for 3-5 minutes to broil, or until the cheese is melted and golden.
Serve the squash halves on a plate and scoop out each bite with a spoon. Enjoy the flavors of fall in every bite!
Suggested Add-Ins (And Swaps)
- If you like sweet Italian sausage instead of spicy, feel free to swap those two out. You can also season the squash with a little bit of maple syrup before it roasts in the oven to play off the sweet flavors!
- Shallots and chives help to give the recipe a rich, onion flavor. You can sauté diced shallots the same way as the onions were cooked in the recipe above. Stir in chopped chives as you combine the quinoa/sausage mixture for an extra pop of flavor and color.
- If you like dried fruit, raisins and dried cranberries are great additions to this dish. You’ll want to add them in at the same time the quinoa is added to the sauté pan. The residual heat from the quinoa and sausage will warm up the dried fruits and make them really juicy!
- The pomegranate seeds in this recipe are delish, but if they aren’t your thing, you can always replace them with diced apples. Just make sure the apples cook along with the sausage for a few minutes so they soften up.
- Get creative with your cheeses! If gorgonzola isn’t your favorite, try adding goat cheese or another tangy cheese instead. I personally love gorgonzola, so nothing beats that in my book!
If you make this recipe, let me know in the comments below! Bon Appetit!
