This Stuffed Acorn Squash with Sausage and Apple is the perfect Fall recipe. It's sweet, savory and absolutely packed with flavor. Plus, they're ready to eat in under an hour with minimal prep work required!
Can dinner even come with more Fall vibes than this recipe? If you love acorn squash, you'll be obsessed with this one. It would also be amazing for a Thanksgiving side dish!
The flavors are incredible with sweet buttery squash stuffed with Italian sausage and crisp apples, and it's finished off with nutty parmesan cheese.
If you're loving Fall Flavors right now, try these Ground Beef Sweet Potatoes, Beef Tenderloin Tips, Ancient Grains Salad, Slow Cooker Swedish Meatballs and Dutch Oven Chili.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe:
- Seasonal Favorite. Acorn Squash is a really festive ingredient in the Fall and Winter and great to use up in recipes.
- Nutritious. This squash is packed with nutrients and anti-oxidants, which will help fight off all the Fall and Winter viruses.
- Easy to Make. Minimal prep work with simple step by step instructions.
- Big on Flavor. I'm obsessed with combining delicious flavors and textures and this recipe was a huge success.
For more Squash recipes, try this Delicata Squash, Butternut Squash and Red Pepper Soup, Air Fryer Butternut Squash, and Air Fryer Acorn Squash.
Ingredients:
Acorn Squash: Look for a medium sized acorn squash. This makes each half filling enough for a meal. If you get one on the larger side, that's fine too, but it will take a bit longer to bake.
Sausage: I used Niman Ranch Mild Italian Sausage, which tastes really well with the flavors in this recipe.
Parmesan Cheese: I like using Parmigiano Reggiano for topping for it's superior flavor over other brands. It's nutty with just the right amount of salty to balance the flavors.
*Find the full recipe ingredients and quantities in the recipe card below.
Substitutions and Variations:
- Feel free to swap out the Italian Sausage with other varieties, like breakfast Sausage. If you can find one with sage, that would be delish.
- Any of your favorite apples work in this recipe. I generally prefer sweeter apples like Gala or Honeycrisp.
If you love sausage recipes, check out this Sausage Croissant Casserole, Sausage Gnocchi, Sheet Pan Italian Sausage, and Cornbread Sausage Dressing.
How to Make Stuffed Acorn Squash:
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut the acorn squash in half from stem side down. Use a spoon to remove the seeds.
Step 2: Place one tablespoon of butter, one tablespoon of brown sugar, and ½ teaspoon cinnamon in the center portion of each squash.
Step 3: Wrap each squash in foil and place on a cookie sheet. Make sure the squash is standing like a bowl, so that the butter and sugar mixture doesn't leak out. Bake for 35-40 minutes until tender.
Step 4: When only 15 minutes remain on the oven timer for the squash, prepare a large skillet over medium low heat on the stovetop. Add the sausage into the skillet with the salt and cook for about 4-5 minutes, breaking up as it cooks.
Step 5: As the sausage cooks, peel and finely dice the apple.
Step 6: Add the apple to the sausage and cook for another 4-5 minutes until the sausage is no longer pink and the apple is tender. Then, turn off heat.
Step 7: Once the acorn squash are finished, carefully unwrap the foil and poke a fork into the inner portion to make sure it is tender and fully cooked. If not, wrap back up and cook in 5 minute increments until done.
Step 8: Spoon the sausage and apple filling right over the pool of butter and brown sugar in the inside of the squash. Top each squash with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese. Return to the oven for 5 minutes.
Step 9: Allow to cool for about 5 minutes, then serve and enjoy!
Expert Tips:
- Make sure the acorn squash is fully cooked before adding the sausage apple filling. After unwrapping the foil, stick a fork into the squash and it should easily go right through the squash into the skin.
- Peel the apples for the best taste and dice them fine, so they get tender in the skillet quickly.
For more Healthy dinner ideas, try this Dutch Oven Chicken Noodle Soup, Sweet Chili Salmon, Ground Beef Burrito Bowls, and Shrimp Broccoli Stir Fry.
More Fall Inspired Recipes To Try:
If you tried this Stuffed Acorn Squash Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you!
PrintRecipe
Stuffed Acorn Squash with Sausage and Apple
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 2 Acorn Squash Halves 1x
Description
This Stuffed Acorn Squash with Sausage and Apple is the perfect Fall recipe. It's sweet, savory and absolutely packed with flavor. Plus, they're ready to eat in under an hour with minimal prep work required!
Ingredients
- 1 Acorn Squash, medium size
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 8 ounces ground mild Italian Sausage
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 apple
- 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese, shredded fine from a block
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut the acorn squash in half from stem side down. Use a spoon to remove the seeds.
- Place one tablespoon of butter, one tablespoon of brown sugar, and ½ teaspoon cinnamon in the center portion of each squash.
- Wrap each squash in foil and place on a cookie sheet. Make sure the squash is standing like a bowl, so that the butter and sugar mixture doesn't leak out. Bake for 35-40 minutes until tender.
- When only 15 minutes remain on the oven timer for the squash, prepare a large skillet over medium low heat on the stovetop. Add the sausage into the skillet with the salt and cook for about 4-5 minutes, breaking up as it cooks.
- As the sausage cooks, peel and finely dice the apple.
- Add the apple to the sausage and cook for another 4-5 minutes until the sausage is no longer pink and the apple is tender. Then, turn off heat.
- Once the acorn squash are finished, carefully unwrap the foil and poke a fork into the inner portion to make sure it is tender and fully cooked. If not, wrap back up and cook in 5 minute increments until done.
- Spoon the sausage and apple filling right over the pool of butter and brown sugar in the inside of the squash. Top each squash with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese. Return to the oven for 5 minutes.
- Allow to cool for about 5 minutes, then serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Make sure the acorn squash is fully cooked before adding the sausage apple filling. After unwrapping the foil, stick a fork into the squash and it should easily go right through the squash into the skin.
- Peel the apples for the best taste and dice them fine, so they get tender in the skillet quickly.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: dinner
- Method: bake/stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Payton says
Ok this was delicious and super good for Fall. Yum!
Tara Smithson says
Thanks so much! I couldn't stop eating mine!