Paleo Sausage Stuffing

After kicking around several ideas, this is what I put together for our Thanksgiving stuffing. You can't really go wrong with the great combination of sweet and savory, plus traditional holiday seasonings. Move over, Bread...Butternut Squash is taking over! This is a great butternut squash dish that shouldn't be saved just for the holidays. It would go great with almost any main dish. And it's equally good the next day with eggs or mixed all together with the rest of your leftovers.

Make-ahead tip: Bake the squash the day before, until it is just beginning to turn soft. Cook the sausage, bacon, and onions the day before as well. The morning of your meal, add the meat and squash to a pan and continue with step 5. 

Ingredients
1 pound bulk Italian sausage
1/2 pound nitrate-free bacon
1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 Tbsp coconut oil
2 onions, chopped
2 tsp dried rubbed sage
1 tsp chopped thyme
1/2 cup fruit-sweetened dried cranberries (Eden Organic)
1 medium apple, diced (I used honey crisp.)
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Add bacon to a large oven-proof skillet and saute until it renders some fat, 3-5 minutes. Add onion and sausage and continue cooking until onion becomes clear and sausage is cooked through.
3. In the meantime, place squash on a rimmed baking sheet. Add coconut oil and place baking sheet in oven for 1 minute or just until oil is melted.
4. Carefully remove baking sheet and toss squash with oil. Return to oven and bake for 15 minutes or until squash is just becoming tender. Remove from oven.
5. Add squash to sausage mixture and stir to combine. Sprinkle with sage and rosemary. Stir. Place skillet in oven for 15 minutes or until squash is soft. 
6. Carefully remove from oven and return skillet to burner over medium-low heat. Stir in walnuts, cranberries, and apples and saute for 3-5 minutes to combine flavors. Season with salt and pepper.