Chicken Cassoulet with Acorn Squash

Ingredients

• 2 cups acorn squash diced peeled
• 0.5 cup apple cider dry
• 2 slices bacon 
• 0.8 teaspoon pepper black divided
• 30 ounce cannellini beans drained canned
• 14.5 ounce canned tomatoes diced with basil, garlic, and oregano canned
• 1 cup carrots diced
• 0.5 teaspoon basil dried
• 0.8 teaspoon thyme leaves dried divided
• 2 tablespoons parsley fresh chopped
• 2  garlic cloves minced
• 1 tablespoon butter 
• 2 cups onion divided chopped
• 0.5 teaspoon salt divided
• 1 pound skinned 
• 0.5 pound turkey sausage smoked cut into 1/4-inch slices
• 2 cups water 

Equipment

• bowl
• frying pan
• oven
• potato masher
• dutch oven

Directions

1. Melt margarine in a large ovenproof Dutch oven over medium heat.
2. Add 1 cup onion and garlic, and saut for 5 minutes.
3. Add Marsala, parsley, 1/4 teaspoon thyme, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, 1/4 teaspoon salt, basil, and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, 10 minutes. Spoon into a bowl; set aside.
4. Combine 1/4 teaspoon salt, 2 cups water, squash, and carrot in pan, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer, partially covered, 30 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Partially mash the beans with a potato masher, and add beans and tomato mixture to pan. Cook over medium-low heat 30 minutes or until thick.
5. Remove from heat.
6. Preheat oven to 32
7. Rub chicken with 1/2 teaspoon thyme and 1/2 teaspoon pepper; set aside. Cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until crisp.
8. Remove bacon from pan; crumble bacon, and set aside.
9. Add chicken to bacon drippings in pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until browned.
10. Remove chicken from skillet; cut into 1-inch pieces.
11. Add 1 cup onion and sausage to skillet; saut 5 minutes or until lightly browned.
12. Add the chicken, crumbled bacon, and sausage mixture to bean mixture in pan, stirring to combine.
13. Cover and bake at 325 for 1 hour. Uncover and bake an additional 30 minutes.