Fun Fall Recipe

I found this recipe somewhere last year and I thought I would pass it along. This is a great dish that really brings a feeling of fall to the table. I hope that you enjoy....



Baked Stuffed Pumpkin
INGREDIENTS

4 ounce(s) sweet Italian sausage (use more if you want, especially if you are using orzo or another grain)
.5 cup(s) chopped onion
1 (1 1/2-pound ) pumpkin, peeled, seeded, and cut into 3/4-inch pieces or acorn squash
.5 cup(s) chopped Granny Smith apples
.25 cup(s) white wine
1 cup(s) Israeli couscous, cooked (available at Trader Joe’s) , Orzo or regular Couscous will work too
.25 cup(s) dried cranberries
1 tablespoon(s) extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon(s) fresh thyme
1 teaspoon(s) fresh oregano, chopped
.5 teaspoon(s) salt
.25 teaspoon(s) fresh ground pepper
4 small (1-pound) pumpkins, hollowed out (Not needed but nice for presentation can use casserole dish)

DIRECTIONS:
Make the stuffing: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Decase and crumble the sausage meat and place it in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook the sausage until it is almost done -- about 8 minutes. Remove the sausage from the pan, increase heat to medium, and add the onion and 2 cups of the chopped pumpkin. Sauté until the pumpkin begins to soften -- 5 to 7 minutes. Add the chopped apple and sausage and sauté for 3 minutes. Add the wine, cook for 2 minutes, remove from heat, and set aside. Combine the couscous, dried cranberries, olive oil, thyme, oregano, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Add meat mixture to the bowl and toss to combine. Bake the pumpkins: Evenly fill the hollowed-out pumpkins with the stuffing mixture and place the pumpkins in a shallow baking dish. Cover the dish with aluminum foil, bake for 25 minutes, remove the foil, and bake for 10 more minutes. Serve immediately.