Stuffed squash is one of those dishes that is beautiful to look at, mind-blowingly tasty, and deceptively easy. Its fast cooking time and minimal prep makes it an easy weeknight dinner, but also an impressive side dish if you’re hosting a crowd.
This easy side dish is also easy to customize based on your guests’ preferences and dietary restrictions. Need to make it vegan? Swap the sausage out for white beans or chickpeas, and omit the cheese. Want to add heft to the filling? Add a grain, like wild rice or farro. Don’t have any Italian sausage on hand? Use ground chicken or turkey instead, and season with nutmeg and allspice. There are so many ways to make this recipe your own. And if you need more delicious squash recipes, then try my squash casserole recipe, butternut squash mac and cheese, or roasted delicata squash recipe.
What You Need to Make this Recipe
Acorn squash — you’ll need 2 small acorn squash for this recipe, which will be enough for 4 servings. The acorn squash I used weighed about 1¼ pounds each.
Italian sausage — use your favorite ground Italian sausage. I find that spicy Italian sausage balances the sweetness of the squash. But if your family doesn’t like spicy food, use sweet Italian sausage instead.
Onion — have you ever cooked an onion in sausage drippings until tender? The flavor is out of this world! You can use any type of onion you have- yellow, white, red, or sweet varieties all work great.
Mushrooms — this recipe calls for baby Bella mushrooms, but you could use white mushrooms or cremini mushrooms instead.
Apple — a chopped apple adds more fall flavor to the hearty filling. Honeycrisp is a good option, but you could also use something sweeter like Fuji. Opt for sweet-tart or sweet apples for this recipe. Save tart Granny Smith apples for apple pie instead.
Thyme — fresh thyme has a vibrant, earthy, somewhat minty flavor that takes the sausage filling to the next level. You could also add other fresh herbs like chives, oregano, or basil.
Garlic — you just need 2 cloves of minced garlic for added savory goodness to round out the flavors in this dish.
Cheese — cheese adds a layer of richness to the sausage-stuffed acorn squash. And you can really use whatever kind of cheese you like!
How to Make Stuffed Acorn Squash
1. Start by carefully cutting the acorn squash in half. You need a large, sharp knife and sturdy cutting board. I recommend placing a dish towel under the cutting board to stop it from moving around. Cut the squash in half lengthwise through the stem end.
2. Using a spoon, scoop out the seeds and any stringy bits.
3. Whisk together olive oil, salt, and pepper in a small mixing bowl. Brush the flesh of each squash half with the olive oil mixture. Place the squash cut side down on a parchment paper- or foil-lined rimmed baking sheet. (The skin should be facing up.) Roast at 425°F for 30 minutes or until the acorn squash is fork tender and starting to brown and caramelize at the bottom.
4. While the squash roasts, work on the filling. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the Italian sausage and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sausage is fully cooked and browned. This will only take 5 to 7 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the sausage from the pan. Leave the drippings in the pan to cook the other ingredients in.
5. Add the olive oil, chopped onion, chopped mushrooms, diced apple, minced garlic, chopped thyme, salt, and black pepper to the skillet. Cook until the onion and apple are very tender and almost all of the moisture has evaporated. Don’t rush this step. It will take about 10 to 12 minutes.
6. Remove from the heat and add the sausage back to the pan. Stir in the cheese.
7. Once the squash is ready, carefully remove the halves from the oven and flip them over on the sheet pan using tongs. Divide the sausage and apple filling equally among each squash half, mounding it in the cavity.
8. Sprinkle with additional cheese. Bake for another 5 to 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and beginning to brown slightly. Bake time here will depend on the type of cheese you choose. If you go with fresh crumbled feta, for example, it won’t melt but will become warm and slightly soft after a few minutes in the oven. Let the stuffed acorn squash with sausage cool for a few minutes before digging in.
Pro Tips for Making this Recipe
- No need to peel the squash. Because the skin on acorn squash is so thin and bakes up tender, you don’t need to peel them before roasting. In a pinch, you can substitute the acorn squash for spaghetti squash. The initial bake time may increase a bit until the squash is tender.
- Scoop out all the stringy bits. No one likes stringy squash! Make sure you scoop out all the seeds and stringy bits from the center of the squash halves.
- Get creative with the filling. If you want to up the ante on the fall flavor in this dish, add a handful of dried cranberries and chopped pecans to the filling. A little grated nutmeg and allspice also add a cozy, spiced flavor.
- You can use your favorite cheese in this recipe! Parmesan cheese, gruyere, smoked gouda, cheddar, feta, and goat cheese are all delicious options. If you are using cheese that needs to be shredded, do so at home instead of buying the pre-shredded kind. Pre-shredded cheese has additives to prevent clumping, which stops it from being decadently melty when baked.
- Vegetarian option. For vegetarian stuffed acorn squash, omit the sausage. To bulk up the filling, you can add more mushrooms (perhaps a heftier kind like Portobello), drained and rinsed canned chickpeas or white beans, or your favorite cooked grain. Wild rice, quinoa, and farro would work very well!
Frequently Asked Questions
No, you don’t need to peel acorn squash. The thin skin is edible and becomes tender when roasted.
My stuffed acorn squash recipe is really quick, so I typically just make it the day I want to serve it. You could make the filling a day or two ahead of time and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Reheat it on the stove over medium heat before filling the roasted acorn squash.
Stuffed acorn squash makes a convenient weeknight meal, but it’s also elegant enough to serve as a hearty holiday side dish! If I make it for my family for dinner, we start with a salad (my kale salad with dried cranberries is a festive option). If I serve it as a Thanksgiving side dish, it pairs beautifully with roasted turkey.
Leftovers keep well in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat at 350°F on a baking sheet until warmed through.
You can freeze stuffed acorn squash. Once the stuffed squash has cooled completely, carefully wrap each half in plastic wrap and aluminum foil. Place the wrapped squash in a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat in the oven as explained just above.
If you love this recipe try these out!
If you’ve tried this stuffed acorn squash recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Stuffed Acorn Squash
Equipment
- Large baking sheet
- Foil
- Large skillet
Ingredients
For the Squash:
- 2 small acorn squash
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 teaspoons ground black pepper
For the Filling:
- ½ pound ground Italian sausage (225g)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ medium onion chopped
- 4 ounces baby Bella mushrooms chopped (113g)
- ½ medium honey crisp apple peeled and diced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme chopped
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 cup shredded cheese* plus more for sprinkling (113g)
Instructions
For the Squash:
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil.
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the olive oil, salt, and pepper.
- Using a large, sharp knife, carefully cut the squash in half through the stem end and scoop out the seeds and any stringy bits.
- Brush the squash with the olive oil mixture and place them cut-side down on the prepared baking sheet.
- Roast for 30 minutes or until the squash is tender and starting to brown on the bottom.
For the Filling:
- While the squash is roasting, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook, stirring occasionally, until fully cooked and browned, about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove the sausage from the pan using a slotted spoon, leaving the drippings in the pan.
- Add the olive oil, onion, mushrooms, apple, garlic, thyme, salt, and pepper. Cook until the onion and apple are very tender and almost all of the moisture has evaporated, about 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir the sausage mixture back into the skillet, then stir in the cheese.
For the Assembly:
- When the squash are tender, remove them from the oven and flip over on the baking sheet using tongs.
- Divide the filling evenly among each squash half, mounding it in the cavity. Sprinkle with additional cheese.
- Bake for 5 to 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and beginning to brown. (Bake time will depend on the type of cheese). Let cool for a few minutes before serving.
Notes
- No need to peel the squash. Because the skin on acorn squash is so thin and bakes up tender, you don’t need to peel them before roasting. In a pinch, you can substitute the acorn squash for spaghetti squash. The initial bake time may increase a bit until the squash is tender.
- Scoop out all the stringy bits. No one likes stringy squash! Make sure you scoop out all the seeds and stringy bits from the center of the squash halves.
- Get creative with the filling. If you want to up the ante on the fall flavor in this dish, add a handful of dried cranberries and chopped pecans to the filling. A little grated nutmeg and allspice also add a cozy, spiced flavor.
- You can use your favorite cheese in this recipe! Parmesan cheese, gruyere, smoked gouda, cheddar, feta, and goat cheese are all delicious options. If you are using cheese that needs to be shredded, do so at home instead of buying the pre-shredded kind. Pre-shredded cheese has additives to prevent clumping, which stops it from being decadently melty when baked.
- Vegetarian option. For vegetarian stuffed acorn squash, omit the sausage. To bulk up the filling, you can add more mushrooms (perhaps a heftier kind like Portobello), drained and rinsed canned chickpeas or white beans, or your favorite cooked grain. Wild rice, quinoa, and farro would work very well!
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