Averie Cooks

-1 Preheat the oven to 400F and check to make sure your top oven rack is placed high enough or remove it to accommodate the squash halves when it comes time to bake them; they'll bake on the center/middle rack.
-1 Line a sturdy baking sheet with foil or parchment if desired for easier cleanup and spray with cooking spray.
-1 Slice the squash in half vertically and scoop out the seeds. Repeat with second squash. See Notes*** for my Safety and How-To Tips for slicing squash.
-1 Place the 4 squash halves flat/cut side down on your prepared baking sheet (so the flesh is face down) and bake for about 20 minutes, or until fork-tender.
-1 While the squash bakes, to a large skillet, add the sausage and cook over medium-high heat to brown it, about 5 minutes; crumble it intermittently with a wooden spoon to ensure even cooking.
-1 After it has cooked through, remove it with a slotted spoon and set aside in a bowl; don't drain skillet.
-1 To the skillet add the olive oil, onion, and cook over medium-high heat until translucent, about 4 to 5 minutes; stir frequently.
-1 In the final minute of cooking, add the garlic, and cook for 1 minute, or until fragrant; stir constantly.
-1 Add the kale, celery, apples, sage, rosemary, thyme, salt, pepper, and cook for about 4 to 5 minutes, or until the kale wilts, and the apples and celery soften. It will look like a lot of kale as you add it, but it wilts down quickly. Stir frequently.
-1 Turn off the heat, add the sausage back into the skillet, and stir to combine; set aside.
-1 After 20 minutes of baking or when the acorn squash are fork-tender, scoop out a bit of the flesh from each of the 4 halves to make room for the filling. It's hard to say exactly how much to scoop out, you'll have to eyeball it based on the size of your squash, how hollow or full they are, etc. You can save this hollowed out portion of squash flesh for another use or just nibble on it.
-1 Place the 4 halves back on the baking sheet and evenly divide the filling mixture between the 4 halves.
-1 Return baking sheet to the oven and bake for 15 minutes.
-1 Remove from the oven and evenly sprinkle the chopped nuts and/or seeds, and optional cheese.
-1 Serve immediately. For any leftover, rather than trying to store whole or even partially cut into squash in your fridge since they are bulky, I scrape everything all together into a container and discard the skins. The extra portion will keep airtight for up to 5 days in the fridge or up to 3 months in the freezer.