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4 half acorn squash stuffed with bright orange ingredients like spiced sausage meat and sweet potato. They are sitting on a newspaper lined plate and have been garnished with some cheese and herbs.
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Sausage Stuffed Acorn Squash

Fork tender roasted acorn squash stuffed with sweet and savory flavors of chicken sausage, sweet potato, apple and a splash of marsala wine.  Stuffed acorn squash is great as wholesome fall main dish or served up sliced as a side.
Course Main Dishes
Cuisine American
Keyword healthy stuffed squash, sausage and apple stuffing, stuffed acorn squash, stuffed acorn squash with sausage and apple
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 4 servings
Calories 645kcal
Author Lauren

Ingredients

  • 2 acorn squash
  • 6 tablespoons olive oil divided
  • 1 large sweet potato diced
  • 1 yellow onion diced
  • 1 pound loose sweet Italian sausage chicken, pork, meatless - any style!
  • ¼ cup marsala wine
  • ½ cup chicken stock
  • 1 apple diced, see notes
  • 2 cups baby spinach
  • ¼ cup goat cheese, shredded parmesan, or monterey jack optional
  • salt and pepper

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 400°F.  Optional: line a sheet tray with parchment paper.  Cut a small piece of the top and bottom off each acorn squash so they will lay flat on the sheet tray.  Cut each acorn squash horizontally across the center and scoop out the stringy, seeded center.
  • Poke each piece of squash several times with a fork, drizzle with 3 tablespoons of olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Roast in a 400°F oven for 35-40 minutes.  While the squash roasts, prepare the stuffing.
  • In a large sauté pan, heat the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high to high heat.  Once the oil shimmers, add the onions, cook for about 1 minutes before adding the garlic, cook for another minute then add the sweet potatoes. Season with salt and pepper and stir frequently until the sweet potatoes are just starting to soften and the onions are translucent. 
  • Add the sausage to the pan and break into small pieces as it cooks. Once the sausage is almost completely browned, about 3 to 4 minutes, deglaze the pan with the marsala wine.  Allow the wine to reduce, about 1 minute, then add the chicken stock to the pan. 
  • Add the apples and greens, reduce the heat to medium and sauté until almost all the liquid is absorbed.  Once the acorn squash is fork tender, scoop the filling into the squash. If opting for cheese, sprinkle or crumble over the top. Return the squash to the oven for 8-10 minutes.

Notes

  • You can use any apple you have handy, you just want it to be a medium sized apple.  I tend to stock my fridge with Honeycrisp since those are my fav, but gala tend to be the easiest to find, have great flavor, on the sweet side, but sturdy enough to hold up during cooking.
  • If trying to meal prep or make ahead, you can fill the squash with the filling then store or freeze for later.  When you're ready to eat just bring to room temperature first, then roast for 15-20 minutes in a preheated 400°F oven.
  • To eat, just dig in!  The skin of the squash is edible, but you can just scoop the inside meat of the squash away from the skin.
  • You can easily microwave to reheat or pop in the oven or toaster oven to crisp up the filling.
  • One stuffed squash makes a great main dish or cut in half and serve as a side dish.

Nutrition

Calories: 645kcal | Carbohydrates: 57g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 38g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 16g | Cholesterol: 81mg | Sodium: 1271mg | Potassium: 1252mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 14683IU | Vitamin C: 36mg | Calcium: 123mg | Iron: 4mg