Roasted Acorn Squash with Venison Maple Breakfast Sausage & Black Rice Stuffing

Prep + cook time: 30 minutes + 1.25 hours

Makes: 4 servings

Want to stir up something irresistible, feast on this Roasted Acorn Squash with Venison Maple Breakfast Sausage & Black Rice Stuffing.

Stuffed with the best ingredients—maple sausage, black rice, and kale—tender roasted acorn squash becomes a perfect vessel for a sumptuous dinner. Serve as a comforting weekday meal with a seasonal salad, or as a stunning side on your holiday table—with a glass of dry white wine, of course!

Ingredients

1/2 cup uncooked black rice
2 cups beef broth
2 Tbs. dried cranberries
2 small acorn squash, halved and seeded
3 Tbs. olive oil, divided
Kosher salt & black pepper
8 oz. venison maple breakfast sausage
1 medium yellow onion, chopped small
1 stalk celery, chopped small
3 cloves garlic, diced
1 tsp. dried thyme
2 dashes nutmeg
3 cups chopped dino kale, stems removed and chopped
¼ cup dry white wine
½ Tbs. ghee or butter
4 Tbs. Sapwood maple syrup, divided

Process

COOK RICE: In a medium saucepan, bring rice and broth to a boil. Lower to a simmer, cover, and cook for 50-60 minutes, or until rice is tender and still a little chewy. There may be some leftover liquid. In a small bowl, mix 1 cup cooked rice with dried cranberries. Cover and set aside for 5 minutes.

BAKE SQUASH: Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with foil. You can cut a small piece from the outside of the squash halves to keep them from tipping over. Rub the squash halves with 1 tablespoon olive oil and lightly season with salt and pepper. Arrange on baking sheet, hollow sides down. Roast until just tender, 30-40 minutes. Remove from oven and lower heat to 325.

MAKE STUFFING: As squash and rice cook, put a large skillet over medium heat. Add sausage and break it up with a wooden spoon. Brown sausage, stirring occasionally and scraping the pan to keep sausage from burning. When it is no longer pink, remove cooked sausage from skillet and set aside. Heat the remaining olive oil. Sauté onion and celery until onion is translucent, around 5 minutes. Add garlic, thyme, and nutmeg. Cook for 1 minute. Add kale and wine, cover to wilt. When kale is wilted, add ghee or butter, melt, and stir to combine. Remove pan from the heat. Add sausage and rice mixture. Fold everything together.

STUFF SQUASH: Turn squash hollow side up on the lined baking sheet. Spoon stuffing evenly between the halves, you may have some leftover stuffing. Drizzle 1 Tbs. maple syrup over each half. Bake the maple sweetened stuffed squash in the oven for 10-15 minutes until squash halves are tender and lightly browned.