Perfectly Stuffed Acorn Squash with Sausage and Apples and Caramelized Onions
by Robin
I’m excited to share our latest recipe with you – it’s absolutely perfect for fall!
This Stuffed Acorn Squash with Sausage and Apples and Caramelized Onions dish is made with simple, fresh and wholesome ingredients and tastes wonderful.
I love how this recipe is served – right in the squash! It can’t be just me who loves eating things out of special bowls. Having this gorgeous autumn harvest meal right in the skin of the acorn squash just feels so simple and natural and fun.
This recipe is pretty versatile too.
This stuffed squash can be a main meal – maybe with a fresh, warm homemade baguette on the side?
Or it could be a gorgeous addition to your holiday meals.
That’s what we’re planning. We’re thinking of this as part of our small Thanksgiving dinner coming in a few weeks:
- Ed’s Rolled Stuffed Turkey Breast Wrapped in Bacon Weave
- Our Healthy Make Ahead Cornbread Stuffing with Cranberries & Cashews
- And our Quick and Creamy Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
I think we’ll have some pretty happy mouths around our table!
Make-Ahead Options
This recipe makes a generous amount of stuffing. This is a good thing!
Next time we make this we plan to double the stuffing and freeze what’s leftover.
Then, when we want to make it again – say at Thanksgiving – we just need to reheat it, cook the squash and broil to finish.
Stuffed Acorn Squash with Sausage and Apples Ingredients
- 2 medium acorn squashes
- 1 lbs. ground pork sausage
- 1 large/or 2 medium size white onions (cut in half and sliced thin)
- 4 Tbsp coconut oil
- 4 Tbsp olive oil
- 4 cloves of garlic (minced)
- 1 medium apple (I used Gala) (cored and diced)
- 8 oz fresh spinach (one whole bag) (washed)
- Salt, to taste
- Pepper, to taste
How to make Stuffed Acorn Squash with Sausage and Apples
Preheat your oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil.
Place them on your baking sheet, open side up, and brush with about 2 tablespoons of olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
Bake for 30 minutes.
You can put a fork in one of the squashes to see if it’s fully cooked – it should feel tender inside.
Once the pan is warm add the coconut oil and the onions.
Make sure to get all the onions nice and dark golden brown. This process can take about 20 minutes.
Once done, take off the stove and set aside.
Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, for about 3 minutes.
This might take about 6-8 minutes.
Take your cooked squashes and stuff each with the sausage stuffing. You may have some left over.
Put the squashes in the broiler for about 5-8 minutes, depending on how toasty you like it.
Stuffed Acorn Squash with Sausage and Apples and Caramelized Onions
A perfect autumn side dish! Savory with a hint of sweet with simple fresh fall ingredients. Make ahead of time then broil for a low stress holiday meal.
Ingredients
- 2 medium acorn squashes
- 1 lbs. ground pork sausage
- 1 large/or 2 medium size white onions (cut in half and sliced thin)
- 4 Tbsp coconut oil
- 4 Tbsp olive oil
- 4 cloves of garlic (minced)
- 1 medium apple (I used Gala) (cored and diced)
- 8 oz fresh spinach (one whole bag) (washed)
- Salt, to taste
- Pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil.
- Cut the acorn squashes in half lengthwise and remove all the seeds and strings. Place them on your baking sheet, open side up, and brush with about 2 tablespoons of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake for 30 minutes. You can put a fork in one of the squashes to see if it’s fully cooked - it should feel tender inside.
- While the squash is in the oven, caramelize your onions by bringing a medium-size frying pan to low heat. Once the pan is warm add the coconut oil and the onions. Make sure to get all the onions nice and dark golden brown. This process can take about 20 minutes. Once done, take off the stove and set aside.
- While the onion cooks, warm a large frying pan up to medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, for about 3 minutes.
- Add your ground sausage, brown it and break up lumps. This might take about 6-8 minutes. Once browned and almost cooked, add your apples and keep stirring until the apples have softened.
- Add your caramelized onions to the pan with sausage, without the excess cooking fat.
- Add your washed spinach on top of the sausage and apples and stir until the spinach has wilted. Season with salt and pepper.
- Preheat your broiler.
- Take your cooked squashes and stuff each with the sausage stuffing. You may have some left over.
- Put the squashes in the broiler for about 5-8 minutes, depending on how toasty you like it. Once done, remove from the oven and enjoy!
Here are more of our amazing recipes for sausage:
One Pan Healthy Sausage and Veggies – a Roasted to Perfection Sheet Pan Dinner
Delicious & Savory Instant Pot Mashed Butternut Squash in Minutes
This is only one of our holiday side dish ideas – like these easy Air Fryer side dishes! Check out so many more here:
Robin and Ed are a DIY-loving couple with over 25 years of design and build experience. Also, Robin is a Nutritionist and former Registered Dietitian and Ed is an award-winning Business Educator. We share strategies for living a rich life on a DIY budget: creative money-savvy ideas for a stylish home, healthy meals and family fun. Our work has been published in the pages of Do It Yourself, Farmhouse Style and Better Homes & Gardens magazines.
