we recently joined a local csa and it’s been great. i love having organic in-season produce at my fingertips. a few weeks ago we got three cute dumpling squash. i’ve never had them before and didn’t really know what i was going to make with them. they actually contributed to my fall decor for a week or so until i found a recipe.

i ended up with my own version of sausage stuffed squash. i am telling ya…this squash is insane good. i’ll be making this over and over again. it has the sweet and savory thing going on which i’m all about these days. all of the flavors of the season are jammed into these adorable squash and it’s heavenly. they are super easy to make and super impressive. even blew the hubs away!

Stuffed Sweet Dumpling Squash

3 or 4 sweet dumpling squash
2 TBSP olive oil
salt and pepper
1/2 pound maple sausage
1 TBSP butter
1/2 onion, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
half an apple chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup dried cranberries
3/4 – 1 cup chicken broth
1 cup stove top stuffing mix

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut squash in half and remove seeds. Brush the cut sides with one TBSP of the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place squash cut side down in a roasting pan and add about a quarter of an inch of water to the pan. Roast the squash in oven for about 40 minutes or until fork tender.

In a large skillet crumble sausage and brown. Remove from pan. Add the remaining olive oil and butter to the skillet. Add the onion and celery, season with salt and pepper and saute until softened, 6-7 minutes. Add the garlic and apples and saute for another minute or two. Add the cranberries and broth. Let the cranberries plump and soften.

Add the stuffing mix then add the sausage back in to the pan. Toss to combine. You may have to add a bit more broth if mixture seems too dry.

Remove squash from oven and fill with the stuffing mixture. If you can’t fit all of the stuffing in each squash, just put all around the baking pan. Return squash to oven and bake another 15-20 minutes or until stuffing has browned and heated through.