Savory Baked Apples with Sausage, Squash, and Onions

Ingredients

• 4 large apples, preferably organic (such as Fuji)
• 1 lemon, halved
• 3 pounds sweet Italian sausage, crumbled (omit for a vegan version and instead double or triple your vegetables and seasonings)
• 2 yellow onions, finely diced
• 1 acorn squash, halved, seeded, peeled, and finely diced into ¼-inch pieces.
• ½ cup fresh herbs (such as thyme, basil, oregano, or sweet marjoram),finely chopped
• 1 cup chopped leafy greens(such as Swiss chard,collards, or kale )
• 2 teaspoons sea salt
• ½ teaspoon cracked fresh pepper
• ½ cup apple juice,preferably organic.

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Cut the apples in half. Using a spoon, carefully scoop out the center cores and discard. Scoop out the flesh from inside the apple skins, leaving a ¼-inch shell around the edges to keep their shape. Reserve the apple flesh. Rub the edges of the apple shells with the halved lemon to prevent too much browning.
2. Finely dice the reserved apple flesh. Toss with about 2 teaspoons of lemon juice to prevent too much browning. Set aside.
3. Sauté the sausage over medium heat until it begins to brown, about 3 – 5 minutes. Add in the diced onion and squash pieces and cook for 3 – 5 minutes more. Remove half of the mixture from the pan and reserve it for the soup recipe for the following night.
4. Add the diced apples and herbs to the remaining sausage mixture in the pan and cook for 1 minute longer. Remove the pan from heat and add in the greens, salt, and pepper.
5. Place the prepared apple halves in an 8×8-inch baking dish. Fill each apple with about ¼ cup of the sausage mixture. Pour the apple juice into the dish around the apples. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Garnish with additional fresh herbs if desired.

Servings

Serves 4-6.

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