Fall Recipes: Baked Apples

October 12, 2015

Baked apples are one of our favorite fall recipes!

Fall means apples are in season and can be found everywhere:  the school cafeteria, lunch boxes, farmers markets, local stores and restaurants. What about making their way to your dinner table, too? Savory apple recipes are the perfect way to introduce this healthy produce into your mealtime.

Here’s one of our favorite fall recipes for baked apples! To make it, you’ll need:

• 4 large honeycrisp apples
• 2/3 cup of low-sodium, fat-free chicken broth
• 1/3 cup of uncooked brown rice
• 1/3 cup of apple cider
• 1/3 cup of dried cranberries
• 1 ½ tablespoons of melted butter
• 4 ounces of sweet Italian sausage
• ¾ cup of chopped yellow onion
• 1/3 cup of chopped carrot
• ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon of ground red pepper
• 3 minced cloves of garlic
• ¼ cup of chopped and toasted walnuts
• 3 tablespoons of minced green onions
• ¾ teaspoon of kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon of dried rubbed sage
• ½ cup of shredded Swiss cheese

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Pour the broth in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Pour in the rice, cover, and let simmer for 50 minutes. Take off the heat and let stand for 10 minutes.

In a microwave-safe bowl, stir the cider with the cranberries. Microwave for 1 minute, let stand for 10, then add to the rice.

With a small spoon, remove the centers of the apples so they have a ½ inch thick shell. Chop up apple innards that don’t contain core.

Brush the apple interior with 1 tablespoon of melted butter, put on a baking sheet, and bake for 25 minutes. Then, preheat your broiler to high.

While the apples bake cook and crumble the sausage in a large skillet over medium until done. Drain and set aside. Melt the remaining butter in the skillet, then add the chopped apple, onion, carrot, cinnamon, and red pepper. Saute for 4 minutes, then add the garlic, cooking for 1 minute. Remove from heat and add the sausage, rice mixture, and remaining ingredients except cheese. Toss to combine. Stuff the apples with this mixture, top with cheese, and broil until golden. Enjoy!

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