STUFFED ACORN SQUASH
Stuffed Acorn Squash
This dish is fall on a plate—sweet, savory, cozy, and oh-so satisfying.
Caramelized onions, crisp apples, sweet Italian sausage, spinach, and fresh herbs are tucked into roasted acorn squash and finished under the broiler for a golden touch.
It’s wholesome, flavorful, and guaranteed to impress (everyone at my table loved it!).
I hope it brings the same comfort and joy to your kitchen this season.
Ingredients
- 2 small/med acorn squash cut in half lengthwise and seeds/strings scooped out
- 1 lb pork sausage casings removed if necessary, sugar free*
- 1 large onion or 2 small cut in half and sliced thin
- 3 tbsp ghee coconut oil, or other cooking fat (for caramelizing the onions) + 2 tsp (for sautéing the garlic)
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 medium-large apple cored and diced
- 2 cups fresh spinach roughly chopped
- 1 Tbsp fresh rosemary chopped
- 2 tsp fresh thyme chopped sea salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Place the 4 acorn squash halves (seeds removed) open-side down on the baking sheet and roast in the preheated oven for about 20-30 minutes, or until the top of your squash feels tender when gently pressed. You can always check them and continue to roast a few more minutes if they aren't tender enough. Set aside after removing from oven.
- While the squash roasts, make the filling. Begin by caramelizing the onions (this process takes a good 20-25 minutes to really bring the flavor out!)
- In a medium skillet, heat the ghee or coconut oil over low heat and add all the onions, stirring to coat. Sprinkle with a bit of salt and cook over low heat, stirring every 5 minutes or so to prevent burning. Once onions have been cooking for about 25 minutes and are deep golden brown, remove from heat and set aside.
- While the squash roasts and the onions cook, heat a large saucepan over medium low heat and add the remaining 2 tsp cooking fat to melt. Add the garlic and cook until just tender, then add all the sausage and increase the heat to medium.
- Cook the sausage and stir to break up lumps, about 5-8 minutes until just browned. Add the apples and herbs and continue to cook, stirring until the apples soften. Add the spinach and a pinch of salt and pepper and cook, stirring, until the spinach wilts.
- Add the caramelized onions to the sausage mixture, leaving excess cooking fat in the pan. Preheat your broiler, then fill all 4 halves of the squash with the stuffing mixture (you may have leftover depending on how big your squash was)
- Arrange the squash on the baking sheet, stuffing side up, and put under the broiler for 5-10 minutes until the tops get nice and toasty, checking often to prevent burning. Once nice and browned, remove from oven, allow to cool a bit and then serve warm. Enjoy!
