Cinnamon Apple Turkey Stuffed Acorn Squash

I couldn't really think of what to call this dish.  There's a lot going on there.  You take ground turkey, mix it with a bunch of stuff that tastes like fall, and then stuff it in acorn squash and let your house get all yummy-smelling while it steams away in the crockpot.

Sounds tasty, right?

Right.  It is INDEED tasty.  You should make it.

Now, here's the thing I should tell you about this recipe.  It will make enough filling for two WHOLE acorn squash, but your crockpot will only fit one, cut in two.  But since ground turkey is almost always sold in one pound increments, I always just make a bunch of filling, save half of it in the freezer, and then pull it out a week or so later and make this dish again.  (You could also eat it plain.  It's super tasty, like I mentioned.)  Or you can halve the recipe to make it work with just one squash. Up to you!

The Tools:

- 6 qt. crockpot (has to be big enough to hold both sides of the squash)

- 1 medium acorn squash
- 1 lb. ground turkey
- 1 cup raisins (dried cranberries would also work)
- 1/2 Granny Smith apple, chopped into small bite sized pieces (about a cup's worth)
- 1/4 cup pecans
- 1/2 onion, chopped (about a cup's worth)
- 1 t cinnamon
- 1 t nutmeg
- dash cloves

The Process:

On the stove, brown the turkey.  When it is almost finished, toss the onions, apples, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves in.  Continue to cook on low heat, stirring often, until the onions are translucent and the apples are soft, about 6-8 minutes.

Remove pan from heat and add the raisins and pecans to the mixture.  Mix it all together well.

Cut the acorn squash in half and scoop out the guts and seeds.  Plop it in the crockpot.

Carefully spoon the turkey mixture into the squash halves, taking care not to let any fall on the bottom of the crock.  (Then either freeze the leftovers or save them in the fridge for tomorrow's breakfast.) 

Once the squash halves are full, pour approximately a cup of water in the bottom of the crock, cover, and cook on LOW for 4 hours.  The squash should be tender and easily pierced with a fork when done.

Enjoy!

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