Day 288: Butternut Squash, Rice and Sausage Bake

I've finally rejoined the land of the living!  I've spent the last couple of days as a zombie, laying in bed and wanting to die.  This is a refreshing change!  Its hard to get over being sick when you're taking care if 4 other sick people.  But I think I'm on the down-hill side of this thing. 

I made this for dinner a few nights ago.  I have a lot of sweet winter squash recipes, but I rarely use them.  I really like the more savory squash dishes.  I also wanted the squash to be the main dish, rather than relegated to a side dish.  I found this at food.com.

Butternut Squash, Rice and Sausage Bake
12" dutch oven

1 butternut squash
3 cups chicken broth
1 cup water
1 tsp. dried rubbed sage
2 tsp. olive oil
1 lb. mild sausage crumbled
1 cup diced onions
1 small sweet apple, diced  (I used a Gala apple)
2 cloves minced garlic
1 cup uncooked arborio rice or 1 cup of other short grain rice
1/4 cup dry white wine (I used chicken stock)
1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme (I used 1/2 tsp. dried thyme)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper

Cut the squash in half, remove seeds, place squash in a dutch oven and bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until tender.  Allow to cool.  Peel and cut into 1/2" cubes; set aside.
In a small dutch oven over a full spread of coals, bring broth, water and sage to a simmer without allowing it to boil.
In the same dutch oven that the squash was baked in, saute the onion in olive oil over a full spread of coals.  Add the sausage and cook until it is no longer pink.  Add the apple and garlic and cook for two minutes.  Add the rice and saute for a minute more.  Stir in the broth mixture, wine (or broth), thyme, salt and pepper, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Bake at 400° for 30 minutes.  Remove from heat.  Stir gently and sprinkle with cheese.  Replace lid and allow the residual heat to melt the cheese.  Allow to cool 10 minutes before serving.  Serves 6-8.

The Finished Product

I've been taking some dandy pics lately!  Sorry about that!

The Review

This was really good!  I liked the sausage and the apple added just a bit of sweetness.  My kids liked everything BUT the squash.  Their plates were clean except for the little piles of squash.  It was actually pretty funny.  This takes a while to make in the dutch oven.  I cooked the squash earlier in the day so the rest was pretty easy.  If it was just me and my hubby to cook for (or other assorted adults) I'd make this again.  But my kids complained quite loudly about having to eat squash as a main dish.  If you love squash or are cooking for adults, then you should try this.  But if my kids are any indicator, yours probably won't love it.  :)  Grade B.