Autumn Stuffed Acorn Squash

Ingredients

• 2 acorn squash, halved and seeded
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dark brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon butter, cut in small pieces
• 1 (16 ounce) package maple-flavored breakfast sausage
• 1 cup cooked wild rice
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/4 cup chicken stock

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Arrange squash halves, cut-side up, in a roasting pan. Run a fork through the meat of each half, creating grooves. Sprinkle with brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and pepper; dot with butter pieces.

Bake in the preheated oven until meat is tender enough to puncture with a fork, 30 to 40 minutes.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir sausage in the hot skillet until browned and crumbly, 5 to 7 minutes; drain and discard grease. Add wild rice, cranberries, and chicken stock; cook and stir until rice and cranberries have absorbed the chicken stock, about 5 minutes.

Spoon the sausage filling into each squash half. Return stuffed squash to oven and bake until flavors have blended, 5 to 10 minutes.