Stuffed Acorn Squash {Gluten-Free}

Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.

Cut each acorn squash in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds and stringy bits out of the middle of each acorn squash and discard.

Place the 4 halves cut-side-up in the baking dish and drizzle the olive oil over each acorn squash. Roast in oven for 40 to 45 minutes or until a fork can easily pierce through them.

In a large frying pan on medium heat, cook the ground sausage until browned and full cooked. Use a slotted spoon to remove the cooked sausage from the pan, place in a bowl, and set aside. Reduce heat to low.

In the same frying pan with the remaining grease from the sausage, sauté the mushrooms, onion, Italian seasoning, minced garlic, fennel seeds, salt and pepper until vegetables have softened slightly, about 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape up any of the sausage bits that are stuck to the bottom on the pan.

Add the ground sausage and cooked rice into the frying pan and stir together just until the mixture is fully heated.

Stir ½ cup of the shredded cheese and stir until just melted. Remove from heat and transfer the filling mixture to a large bowl. Set aside.

Once the acorn squash has finished roasting, remove from the oven and reduce the heat to 375°F.

Spoon the filling mixture in the hollow middle of each acorn squash. Pack this mixture in well — it’s okay if it overflows a bit.

Top each stuffed acorn squash with the remaining 1 cup of shredded cheese.

Place into the oven and bake for 15 minutes until the cheese is fully melted. Serve hot.

Optional: Sprinkle lightly with additional freshly ground black pepper or freshly chopped thyme.