Acorn Squash with Balsamic Apples & Walnuts

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, I am dreaming of foods made with our farm-grown produce around my table! I will be making Acorn Squash with Balsamic Apples & Walnuts for our family gathering. I love this recipe because it can be modified to accommodate a variety of special diets. It is already gluten free, it can be made vegan by substituting olive oil for butter. This extremely nutrient dense squash is packed with Vitamin A, Vitamin C, fiber and antioxidants.

Balsamic vinegar is what gives this dish flavorful flair. Sautéed onions and apples absorb the tangy vinegar and accentuate the creamy squash flesh. I even enjoy eating the skin of the squash.

I made this recipe on air at FOX 2 on the 9 AM News with Kim and Margie today. We had a blast, as usual, cooking in their kitchen! I showed them how to “crack” open the squash and they were quite impressed with my mallet handling! Too funny.

If you are looking for a beautiful and festive Thanksgiving recipe, Give this one a try! Eat well this Holiday Season, Angie

Ingredients

• 2 acorn squash
• 2 tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup. chopped onions
• 1 cup chopped apples
• 2 tbsp. brown sugar
• 1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup toasted walnuts
• 1/4 tsp. salt

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375. Split the squash in half, lengthwise, and remove seeds and place in baking dish. Using a paring knife to score the squash flesh in a grid pattern.
2. To make apple filling, melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat and sauté onions for 3-5 minutes. Add apples, brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, walnuts and salt and continue to sauté for 3 minutes. Remove mixture from heat.
3. Spoon the filling into each half. To keep the squash moist while baking, add about ½ inch of water to the bottom of the baking dish and cover the filled squash with foil. * Bake for about 1 hour, or until squash is fork tender. Serves 4-6.
4. *Stop here and refrigerate if you want to make this dish a day ahead.