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.

Why this Recipe Works

• Bold Flavors: The Italian sausage and red chili flakes give the dish a hearty, spice-kissed kick that’s balanced beautifully by the sweetness of the apple and caramelized onions.
• Nutritional Balance: Squash is rich in fiber, vitamins, and minerals, while the sausage provides protein, making this a well-rounded meal in terms of nutrition.
• Versatility: This dish can be easily customized for different flavors. Check out the variations section below for some ideas.
• Impressive Presentation: When you serve this dish, it looks like you’ve spent hours in the kitchen, but it’s actually pretty simple to prepare.

Ingredients

You will find exact ingredient amounts in the recipe card at the end of this post. Here is what you will need:

• Acorn squash – Find them large enough so they can be scooped into bowls that can be stuffed with sausage.
• 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.
• Apple – Choose a firmer apple like Granny Smith or Honeycrisp for a tart counterpoint to the savory sausage. These types hold up well during cooking. We peel the skin but you can leave it on.
• Onion – Any variety you have on hand will work.
• Bell peppers – I like the sweetness of red and yellow, as opposed to green.
• Garlic – Freshly chopped.
• Thyme – Dried.
• Red chili flakes – For a touch of heat.
• Parmesan cheese – We use a block of cheese and freshly grated it.
• Olive oil – For sautéing.
• Salt

How to Prepare 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 doesn’t go any further, pull it out and start the cut again on the same line.

Scoop out the seeds using a spoon.

How to Make Sausage Stuffed Acorn Squash

1. Bake the squash: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Brush olive oil all over both sides and put them face down on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes, or until 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.

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.

5. Final touch: Once the squash comes out of the oven, give them a final sprinkle of parmesan cheese.

Recipe Tips and Notes

• Selecting the Perfect Squash: Look for acorn squash that are uniform in shape and have a deep green color. This will help ensure that they cook evenly.
• Caramelizing Onions: Patience is key when caramelizing onions. The longer you allow them to cook, the more flavorful and sweet they’ll become, which will beautifully complement the spiciness of the sausage.
• Advanced Prep: You can prepare the stuffing ahead of time and refrigerate it. Just make sure to bring it to room temperature before stuffing the squash to ensure even cooking.
• Broiler Watch: Keep an eye on your squash when it’s under the broiler. It takes only a few seconds to go from perfect to burnt.

Some Variations

1. Instead of Italian pork sausage, try Italian chicken or turkey sausages. They are leaner options without compromising the flavor. Or try other sausage varieties like bratwurst or andouille.
2. To make it more festive, stir in some dried cranberries along with the apple.
3. Add other veggies like mushrooms, or grains like cooked wild rice or quinoa, or even farro in your stuffing.
4. Top with cheese before broiling. More parmesan, cheddar, mozzarella or smoked gouda are great choices.

Storage and Reheating

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. 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.

Sausage Stuffed Acorn Squash, on our Gypsy Plate… enjoy!

Try these other great sausage recipes:
Sausage and Potato Soup
Australian Curried Sausages
Grilled Sausage & Peppers
Cabbage and Sausage Skillet
Creamy Sausage Pasta
Italian Sausage Bake

Recipe Video

Sausage Stuffed Acorn Squash (Recipe + Video)

Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

This Sausage Stuffed Acorn Squash recipe is a great fall dinner and would look gorgeous on any holiday spread!

5.0 Stars (10 Reviews)

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Ingredients

• 2 acorn squash
• 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 small bell peppers, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 pound Italian sausage
• 1 small apple, chopped
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon red chili flakes
• ¼ cup grated parmesan + 2 Tbsp for topping (see note 1)
• Salt to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Slice smallest portion off from top and bottom of the squash so it will sit nicely on the plate when flipped. Cut the squash through the middle (not through the stem). Brush 2 tablespoons olive oil all over both sides and put them face down on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes, or until squash is fork tender.
2. While squash is in the oven, heat olive oil in a pan and sauté onions till caramelized, about 10-15 minutes. Add in bell peppers and garlic and sauté for 5 minutes.
3. Add in sausage and crumble it with a spatula until it is brown. Add in chopped apple along with thyme, red chili flakes, salt and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in ¼ cup parmesan cheese.
4. Stuff the acorn squash with the stuffing.
5. Switch the oven to broiler and broil for 2-3 minutes. Keep a close eye while broiling, as broiler intensities can vary.
6. Remove from oven and garnish with remaining grated parmesan.

Notes

1. You can make these more cheesy by using more cheese as topping before it goes in for broil.
2. You can prepare the stuffing ahead of time and refrigerate it. Just make sure to bring it to room temperature before stuffing the squash to ensure even cooking.
3. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for 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.

Nutrition Information

Yield 4 Serving Size 1
Amount Per Serving Calories 573Total Fat 39gSaturated Fat 13gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 29gCholesterol 67mgSodium 1040mgCarbohydrates 34gFiber 7gSugar 11gProtein 25g

Nutrition information calculated by Nutritionix.

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