Sausage and apple stuffed acorn squash is the perfect fall meal, full of fall vegetables and savory flavors to make a warm, comforting, and hearty meal.
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I’m still refusing to give up summer, but fall is slowly creeping in, pumpkin spice lattes are coming back, and the mornings are brisk before the sunshine and heat trail in by the afternoon.
We are using up the rest of our summer garden harvest and moving on to fall harvest. Our favorite food to enjoy this time of year is winter squash – like butternut, pumpkin, acorn, and spaghetti squash. It’s the perfect veggie to stock up on in the fall and enjoy through the winter.
Plus, they are so versatile. Use them in everything from soups (like my pumpkin soup) to smoothies (like my pumpkin smoothie).
So instead of making my stuffed bell peppers with ground beef, I’m switching to this stuffed acorn squash recipe to bring in the fall season!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Full of fall flavor – Nothing tastes more like fall than winter squash and apples! Add in some fresh herbs and savory sausage for a meal that will make your taste buds sing.
The main dish and sides all in one – There’s no need to cook anything else to go with this. Your protein, veggies, and starch is all included!
Looks beautiful and tastes delicious – This dish will look beautiful on your dinner table, and it will taste amazing. A true win-win!
Ingredients
Acorn squash: Pick a medium-sized squash that is firm, heavy for its size, and has a combination of orange and green coloring.
Neutral oil: Extra virgin olive oil is my go-to because it is unrefined and has retained most of that olive flavor.
Sausage: I used a pork breakfast sausage for this. You could also experiment with chicken sausage, sweet Italian sausage, ground beef, or ground turkey.
Apple: Pick an apple variety that is good for baking, such as: Honey Crisp, Granny Smith, Braeburn, Jonagold, etc.
Parmesan: Cheese makes everything better. I like to get a block of parmesan and freshly grate it for this dish. If you want to make this dairy-free, you can omit it.
A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
How To Make Stuffed Acorn Squash
Step 1: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Cut squash in half on a sturdy cutting board and scoop out seeds with a large spoon.
Step 2: Place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet, cut side up. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Bake for 40 minutes in a preheated oven.
Step 3: While the squash roasts, add sausage into a a large skillet over medium heat and brown for about 5 minutes, breaking it up into small chunks.
Step 4: Add in the onion, celery, garlic, salt, and pepper. Cook for a few more minutes, until cooked through and onions and celery have softened.
Step 5: Add in apples and sage.
Step 6: When finished baking, remove the baking sheet with acorn squash from the oven, and set on a heat resistant surface like a stove top or trivet. When the squash is cool enough to handle, scoop out the soft squash and add it to the skillet with the sausage and veggie mixture, along with half the parmesan cheese.
Step 7: Scoop the squash, sausage, and veggie mixture back to the hollowed out squash halves using a slotted spoon. Top with the remaining parmesan cheese.
Step 8: Bake an additional 15 minutes until the cheese has started melting and the filling is starting to turn golden. Enjoy!
Tips for Stuffed Acorn Squash
- While this recipe uses acorn squash, you could substitute it with butternut squash if that is all you have. It will have a slightly different flavor.
- Save the seeds, clean, toss with oil and salt, and bake until toasted. Squash seeds (not just pumpkin seeds) make a healthy and yummy snack. You can even use them in my sourdough granola recipe or homemade granola recipe.
- I like the nutty flavor and saltiness of fresh parmesan cheese, but you could also substitute it with mozzarella (Learn how to make homemade mozzarella here.), goat cheese, or just skip it altogether.
- If you want to add a few more carbs to the dish, you could also add some cooked wild rice, too.
- Want more fall recipes in an easy-to-follow meal plan? Check out my 28-Day Autumn Meal Plan.
Recipe FAQ’s
Acorn squash pairs great with apples, a variety of cheeses, and seasoned meat like sausage in savory recipes. It also pairs great with cinnamon and maple syrup for sweet flavors.
Acorn squash pairs great with apples, a variety of cheeses, and seasoned meat like sausage in savory recipes. It also pairs great with cinnamon and maple syrup for sweet flavors.
Acorn squash is full of antioxidants and vitamins, like Vitamin C and Vitamin A.
Find More Delicious Squash Recipes
- Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
- Sourdough Pumpkin Roll
- Pumpkin Pasta Sauce
- From Scratch Pumpkin Pie
- Sourdough Pumpkin Cobbler Recipe
If you try this recipe and love it, I would love it if you could come back and give it 5 stars! Tag me on Instagram @farmhouseonboone.
Stuffed Acorn Squash with Sausage and Apple
Ingredients
- 2 small acorn squash
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
For the filling
- 1 pound sausage
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 apple, diced
- 1 stalk celery, minced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- several grindings black pepper
- 1 tablespoon fresh sage, chopped (or 1/2 tsp dried)
- 1/2 cup fresh parmesan, shredded
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Cut squash in half and scoop out seeds with a large spoon.
- Place on a parchment lined baking sheet, cut side up.
- Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Bake for 40 minutes.
- While the squash cooks, add sausage into a cast iron skillet over medium heat and brown for about 5 minutes, breaking it up into small chunks.
- Add in the onion, celery, garlic, salt, and pepper.
- Cook for a few more minutes, until cooked through and onions and celery have softened.
- Add in apples and sage.
- When finished baking, remove the baking sheet with acorn squash from the oven, and set on a heat resistant surface like a stove top or trivet.
- When the squash is cool enough to handle, scoop out the soft squash and add it to the skillet with the sausage and veggie mixture.
- Add half of the parmesan.
- Scoop the squash, sausage, and veggie mixture back into the hollowed out squash.
- Top with the remaining parmesan cheese and bake an additional 15 minutes until the cheese has started melting and the filling is starting to turn golden.
Notes
- While this recipe uses acorn squash, you could substitute it with butternut squash if that is all you have. It will have a slightly different flavor.
- Save the seeds, clean them, toss with oil and salt, and bake until toasted. Squash seeds make a healthy and yummy snack.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This is fantastic and I used ground chicken breast I ground myself instead of sausage. Will make again.❤️