Stuffed Acorn Squash

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OK, so I know I’ve been on a butternut kick – I can’t help it.  But butternut was not my introduction to winter squashes. My first attempt in cooking a winter squash was the acorn. Nice and firm, with a hallowed out center perfect for holding other foods, what better to do with it than stuff it? In this recipe I add in a sautéed mix of savory sausage, tart apples, onion, and fresh zucchini. Here is my original Stuffed Acorn Squash recipe.

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Stuffed Acorn Squash

Acorn squash stuffed with a combination of sauteed sausage, onions, and apples.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Diet Gluten Free, Low Calorie, Low Fat, Low Lactose, Low Salt

Keyword Clean Eating, Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Whole30, WW Friendly

Total Time 40 minutes

Servings 2

Calories 242kcal

Equipment

• Baking Sheet, Large Skillet

Ingredients

• 1 acorn squash
• 1 apple cored, and chopped
• 1 onion chopped
• 1 zucchini chopped
• 2 links sausage uncased
• 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese optional, omit for dairy free/Whole30 plan

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350.  Prepare a baking sheet.
• Cut squashes in half. Scoop out seed and place on baking sheet face down.
• Bake squash until tender, 30 if using cheese, 40 if not.
• While the squash is cooking, prepare your other ingredients.
• Heat non-stick skillet over medium high heat. When hot, add uncased sausage. Use a wooden spoon to break up the sausage.
• Once sausage is mostly browned, add apple, onion, and zucchini.  Continue cooking until sausage is cooked through and vegetables are tender.  Remove from heat and keep warm if done before squash.
• If using cheese, top with mozzarella and return to oven for 10 minutes.  If not, serve. 

Notes

This recipe is 10 Green, 8 Blue, and 5 Purple WW Points.  

Jump to nutritional information

Introducing the Acorn Squash

A few years ago I joined my first CSA.  Personally, it was an incredibly disappointing experience.  My pick up was on Tuesday night and most of what I didn’t use Tuesday or Wednesday went into the trash on Thursday morning because it went bad that fast.  Fortunately, it did not keep me from giving some others a try.  When I spent more time in Silver Spring, Maryland I loved Spiral Path Farm.  Now in Columbia, I’m looking for a new one, but then again, the farmer’s markets are so awesome I’ve been sticking to those. Besides, it’s easier to meal plan when I know what I’m getting instead of he surprise of a CSA.

Back to my originally point, one good thing came out of that awful experience.  It was there that I got my first acorn squash.  Named because it looks kind of like a really big, green acorn, I had no idea what to do with it, but the CSA sent out a newsletter with suggestions and that’s where this stuffed acorn squash recipe was born.

Let’s get cooking!

Start by gathering all of your ingredients, but you don’t need to prepare everything first.  The squash needs a head start so you can do your prepping while the squash is cooking.  Begin by preheating the oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare a baking sheet.  The squash generally won’t stick to a sheet, but you can give it a quick spritz of cooking spray if you want.

Start by preparing the squash.  You will need to get a sharp knife and slice the squash in half.  Like most of the winter squashes, the acorn is very hard and firm, so the sharper the knife the better.  If you have trouble with your knives, I recommend taking it to get sharpened ASAP or get a sharpener to do it yourself at home, like this one.  Taking care of your knives will not only make tasks like cutting hard food easier, it makes prepping your food safer as well.

Back to the squash, once the acorn as been split in to, scoop out the seeds.  Place the squashes flesh side down on the baking sheet and place in the preheated oven.  If you are going to be adding the optional cheese at the end, set a timer for 30 minutes, if not set it for 40.

Cooking the Stuffing

While the squash is in the oven, prep your other ingredients.  Chop and peel your onion, apple, and zucchini.  When I make this recipe, I usually go with McIntosh apples.  McIntosh apples have a little tartness, but not to the degree of other apples like the Granny Smith.  It’s also somewhere in the middle in terms of firmness.  It doesn’t completely breakdown, but when sautéing like I’m about to, it gets a nice, soft, tender texture that I like. 

If you are using sausage links, remove the casing.  This recipe calls for ground sausage, but I find it’s usually easier just to get links and remove the covering.  If you are following a Whole30 or clean eating plan, don’t forget to check the ingredients since sausages can often contain sugar.  In this case I’m just using run of the mill sweet Italian sausage.  If you like a little more heat, go with hot Italian sausage.

Heat a non-stick pan to medium high heat.  When the pan is hot, add the sausage links and break the meat up with a wooden spoon.  Allow the meat the partially brown.  When the sausage is about half done, I usually will drain off the fat.  Add in the chopped onions, apple, and zucchini to the pan. 

When everything is in the pan, stir periodically to ensure that the ingredients cook evenly.   You might have noticed that I haven’t added any seasoning to this recipe.  You would be right – I didn’t.  Most of the time if I am cooking with a seasoned meat like Italian sausage or chorizo, I find that the flavor from the meat is all I need and don’t like to add anymore.  I like to let the meat’s seasoning shine, which is why letting the meat and vegetables cook together and combine is important to this recipe.

Once the meat is done and the vegetables and apples are tender, remove the mix from the heat.  If the squash needs a little more time, set the mix aside and keep it warm. 

Stuff the Acorn Squash

I love cheese, so you know if I have the opportunity to top something with cheese, and am not on a round of Whole30, I will usually do it. This stuffed acorn squash is no exception. If you are planning on topping the stuffed squashes with a bit of cheese, take them about of the oven after about 30 minutes.  Don’t worry, we’ll be putting them back in to let the cheese melt.  If you are not using the cheese, give the squash about another 10 minutes before removing from the oven.

Remove the squash from the oven.  Turn the squashes over so the flesh side is up.  If the centers of the squash are small and shallow, remove some of the pulp to make room for the stuffing.  I find an ice cream scoop the perfect tools for this task.  Divide the stuffing between the two squashes.  If using cheese, top with the shredded mozzarella and return to the oven for 10 minutes to allow the cheese to melt.  Otherwise, serve the squash hot. 

Did you make this recipe? Be sure to let me know. Comment below or post on Instagram and tag me!

Want more recipes? I’ve got them. Check out some of my other stuffed, spicy, or squashy recipes. Is squashy a word? Probably not, but squashy is fun to say. Try it!

I’ve got meal plans too. I always try to feature in season produce in the plans, so expect to see plenty of winter squashes pop up in the fall and winter plans.

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