Carnival Squash With Apple Walnut Stuffing

• 1 carnival squash, cut in half lengthwise with seeds cleaned out
• Cooking Spray
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter, divided
• ¼ c onion, chopped
• ¼ c celery, chopped
• ½ c Honeycrisp apple, peeled cored and roughly chopped
• 1 tsp fresh sage, chopped
• 1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
• ⅛ c chicken or vegetable stock
• Freshly ground pepper, to taste
• ½ c The Fresh Market Stuffing Mix (Gluten Free or Traditional)
• ⅓ c golden raisins
• ⅓ c walnuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 350°F. Melt 1 tbsp butter and brush over the cut side of squash. Add enough water to cover the bottom of a large pan, place squash cut side-up in pan and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until tender.

Meanwhile, heat remaining butter in a pan and cook until golden brown and fragrant (it will smell nutty). Add onion, celery and apple and sauté until lightly brown and softened, about 15 minutes. Add sage and thyme, and sauté 3 minutes more. Remove from heat.

In a medium bowl, whisk together, stock and pepper. Add stuffing mix, apple and vegetable-herb mixture, raisins and walnuts, and stir to combine. Allow mix to soak until moist (add more stock if necessary), about 5 minutes, tossing intermittently. Set aside.

Spoon stuffing into squash cavities and bake 15-20 minutes more, adding more water to the pan if necessary.