Sausage Stuffed Acorn Squash

These golden yellow Sausage Stuffed Acorn Squash are a beauty to the eyes. These gorgeous veggie bowls with their scalloped, caramelized edges are stuffed with the most delicious sausage stuffing…

This is it!! Introducing the Fall dish that is not only bursting with flavors, but Holiday worthy fancy. This sweet and savory stuffed acorn squash is simple at its core.

Just some caramelized onions, a few bell peppers, some sprinkling of herbs and, of course, the major flavor booster in the form of Italian sausage… and you get yourself this beauty!

Fall is almost here. That means warm spices, apples, soups, stews and squash… Lots and lots of squash. From pumpkin to butternut squash to spaghetti squash to acorn, they are all around. Of all, I feel acorn squash is the prettiest when cooked with its scalloped edges and beautiful golden yellow color.

We love to stuff our veggies year around, like our favorite Mediterranean stuffed peppers or stuffed zucchini boats. It’s a perfect marriage of your veggies with any protein of your choice, and it turns up into one healthy nutritious meal.

So when it comes to winter produce, aka acorn squash, of course we are “stuffing it”. We are keeping it pretty simple. You don’t need to do much when the sweet and nutty flavor of acorn squash get matched to savory and a little spicy Italian sausage.

Just a few extra add-ons and you get yourself one hearty meal on any ordinary day, or some good looking side dish or appetizer for your Holiday table.

Ingredients you need for sausage stuffed acorn squash

1. Acorn squash – Find them large enough so they can be scooped into bowls that can be stuffed with sausage.
2. Italian Sausage – Today we used spicy, as we needed to compliment the sweetness of squash. You can use any mild variety of your choice. Remove the casing when cooking. You can use ground Italian sausage too, if that’s on hand.
3. Apple – A little sweetness from apple goes a long way in this dish. We peeled the skin but you can leave it on.
4. Veggies – Onion, bell peppers (we used red and yellow for color).
5. Garlic
6. Thyme
7. Red chili flakes
8. Parmesan cheese – We used a block of cheese and freshly grated it.
9. Olive oil
10. Salt

How to cut Acorn Squash

People cut it in two different ways. One is to cut the squash in the middle, through the stem. The other way is cut them in half across the middle “not” through the stem. We love it the second way, as when you cut it that way it gets you those pretty scalloped edges.

You would want your sharpest knife to cut any winter squash, and acorn squash is no exception. Put it on a steady cutting board and slice off the smallest piece possible from top and bottom. This way they will sit flat when you are baking them and ready to serve.

Make a cut in the middle and continue cutting on the same line. If the knife gets stuck and don’t go any further, pull it out and start the cut again on the same line.

Scoop out the seeds using a spoon. Flip them like sitting bowls on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.

How to make Sausage Stuffed Acorn Squash

1. Bake the squash: Preheat the oven at 400 degrees. Brush olive oil over the cut, fleshy side of squash and sprinkle a little salt. Flip them and place them face down (fleshy side down) on a baking sheet and bake them for 30 minutes, or until the squash is fork tender.

2. Prepare the stuffing: While the squash is baking, time to make the delicious savory stuffing. Heat olive oil in a pan and sauté onions till they are caramelized. This will take 10-15 minutes, but will add a ton of flavor to the dish.

Add in bell peppers and garlic and sauté till peppers are soft.

Add in sausage and cook it while crumbling with a spatula. Once the sausage is no longer pink, add in chopped apples along with thyme, red chili pepper flakes and salt. Cook for 4-5 minutes. Stir in grated parmesan cheese.

3. Stuff the squash: When the squash is tender out of oven, flip them over and scoop generous amounts of stuffing into each acorn squash half. They should be brimming with that delicious stuffing.

Sprinkle some more grating parm on top and they are ready to go back in oven.

4. A quick broil: Turn your broiler on in the oven and broil the stuffed acorn squash for 2-3 minutes, or till the parmesan gets melty. Keep an eye when they broil, as they can easily burn if your broiler is strong. Take them out and praise your handiwork. 🙂

What to serve Stuffed Acorn Squash with

1. It’s a great hearty low carb meal just by itself. You can serve it with a side of your favorite salad. We love our Isreali couscous salad with this baked squash.
2. This goes great with some wild rice or quinoa.

Some variations

1. Instead of Italian pork sausage, try Italian chicken or turkey sausages. They are leaner options without compromising the flavor. Personally, we love Italian chicken sausages in everything.
2. To make it more festive, stir in some dried cranberries along with the apple and you have one hearty Thanksgiving side or an appetizer.
3. Add other veggies like mushrooms, or grains like cooked wild rice or quinoa, or even farro in your stuffing.
4. Use a lot more parmesan cheese before broiling it for a cheesier version. Play with the cheese. Use other cheeses like feta cheese, goat cheese or mozzarella.
5. For the paleo crowd, you can skip the cheese altogether.

How to store and reheat the Sausage Stuffed Acorn Squash

They are great in an airtight container in refrigerator up to 3 days.

To reheat, place them on a parchment paper lined baking sheet covered with aluminum foil. Bake at 350 degrees for about 15-20 minutes. You can also reheat in the microwave.

Can you freeze? Yes. They can be frozen up to 3 months in freezer bags. Let the squash cool to room temperature before freezing. Try to remove as much air out of the freezer bag as you can and they are good for future meals.

To reheat, bake them covered at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Or thaw completely and reheat as mentioned above.

Well, there you go. Start upcoming the fall with a bang. We have great recipes for the season like all sorts of pumpkin recipes, butternut squash recipes and pie recipes. There is always something to cook and try.

But these golden caramelized beauties are a MUST when you if those acorn squash when they start popping up in the market. We’re sure you are coming back to this recipe again and again.

Pin or bookmark it so you can come here in seconds. Bake this easy hearty meal any day and make your family feel extra special when you take this to the your table.

Check out our collection of favorite Sausage Recipes!

Sausage Stuffed Butternut Squash, on my Gypsy Plate… enjoy!

Try these other great recipes this Holiday season!
Creamed Peas with Pearl Onions
Squash Casserole
Pork Pinwheels
Cherry Tomato Gratin
Sweet Potato Casserole
Thanksgiving Kale Salad
Butternut Squash Blossom
Succotash