Stuffed Kabocha Squash with Sausage and Barley

This is a wonderful meal in itself made with turkey sausage – you can use any winter squash, I used Kobocha (from the farmers market – I grow it in the garden now) – the recipe used Acorn squash. This recipe serves 6 people, you can halve the amount if only serving 2-3 or use the same ingredients and have lots more “stuffing” using two squash cut in half.

Prep time – 15 minutes Cook time – 1 hour Total time – 1 hour, 15 minutes

• 3 winter squash (Acorn, Kabocha…)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 pound ground turkey sausage
• 1 small onion, diced small (about 1/2 cup)
• 2 stalks celery, diced small (about 3/4 cup)
• 1 apple, chopped
• 2 cups cooked farro (or barley, or brown rice)
• 1/2 cup dried cherries or dried cranberries
• 1/4 teaspoon dried sage
• 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese, extra for topping if desired

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper
2. Carefully trim a tiny bit off the top and bottom of each squash to create a flat surface. Then cut each squash in half. Scrape out seeds and stringy bits. Rub inside and out with olive oil. Sprinkle inside of squash with salt and pepper. Place cavity side down on prepared baking sheets. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until fork tender.
3. While squash roasts, heat the teaspoon of olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. When the oil is shimmering and hot, add the sausage, onion, and celery and cook until sausage is cooked through, breaking the sausage up into crumbles as it cooks.
4. Add the grain (farro, barley, rice), apple, cherries (or cranberries), sage, and garlic powder and cook until the apple softens and the rest of the mixture has heated through.
5. Turn off heat and stir in cheese.
6. When squash is tender, remove from oven and crefully flip each half over. Fell with sausage mixture and if desired, sprinkle with additional cheese. Return to oven for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.
7. Serve immediately.

Recipe inspired by www.rachelcooks.com