Vegetarian Pumpkin Stew

Image: 8 ounce ramekin filled with a thick golden brown stew made from pumpkin puree, vegetarian meat, beans and vegetables, and garnished with herbs.

Description: This flavor-packed vegetarian stew made from pumpkin puree, field roast sausage, white beans and various herbs and aromatics makes for a delicious fall-inspired meal!

Yield: Recipe makes 2-3 servings

Ingredients:

• 4 links of Apple Sage Field Roast Vegetarian Sausage, diagonally sliced

• 3 Acorn Squash, peeled and rough chopped into ½ in cubes

• 1 cup Great Northern white beans (presoaked overnight)

• 3 whole shallots, peeled and rough chopped (roughly one cup)

• 1 ½ cups celery, peeled and diced

• 6 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

• 1 - 15 ounces can pumpkin puree

• 5-6 cups water, to preferred consistency

• 1 ½ tablespoons vegetarian chicken bouillon or vegetable bouillon

• 2 tablespoon fresh sage, Minced

• 2 tablespoon fresh thyme, minced

• 1 tablespoon coarse ground black pepper

• 1 teaspoon hot pepper flake

• ½ teaspoon smoked paprika

• 2 teaspoons old bay seasoning

• 3 bay leaves

Directions:

Using a big stock pot, fill half full of water and put on stove. Turn heat to high until boiling. Add the whole acorn squash, then turn down heat to medium, and boil uncovered for 15 minutes.

While the squash is boiling, chop your celery, shallots and garlic. Add all to a container and set aside. Chop the sausage and set aside in a separate container. Chop the herbs and set aside in a small dish.

Preheat the oven to 425. Line a baking dish with foil sprayed with cooking spray, and set aside.

By now 15 minutes should have passed. Pour off the hot water and refill the pot with cold water and let the squash sit in the cold water for a couple of minutes or so to cool.

When the acorn squash are cool enough to handle, remove the skins and roughly chop into ½ inch chunks. Drizzle a bit of olive oil over the chopped squash and put in the oven for 30 minutes or until just tender. This roasting step is important as it will further develop the flavor and brown the squash.

While the squash is roasting, add oil to your stock pot and set on medium heat. Add the celery, garlic and shallots. Saute for 7-10 minutes or until translucent and fragrant.

Add the water, seasonings, and bay leaves. Add your beans, and bouillon. Once boiling, reduce heat to low and simmer with pot lid tilted off slightly for 20 or so minutes until beans are tender. After about 15 minutes, add in the pumpkin puree, stir to combine. Continue simmering for another 10 minutes.

By now you should have roughly 10 minutes left from your squash roasting in the oven. Add the sliced field roast to your roasting tray and roast for the last bit of time until the sausage browns.

Add the roasted sausage and squash to the stock pot and simmer on low for about another 5 minutes to bring those flavors together.

Add most of the minced herbs (reserve a pinch of fresh herbs for topping) and simmer 1 more minute. turn off heat. Plate up and top with left over herbs. Serve and enjoy!