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Easy Sausage, Apple, and Cranberry Stuffed Acorn Squash

Close-up of a roasted acorn squash half filled with savory stuffing and dried cranberries, a perfect stuffed acorn squash.
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Make this easy stuffed acorn squash for a cozy fall dinner. The sweet and savory filling uses sausage, apple, and cranberry, making it a comforting and wholesome meal ready in under an hour.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 medium acorn squash
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 pound bulk Italian sausage
  • 1 small yellow onion, diced
  • 1 large apple, peeled, cored, and diced
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/2 cup cooked quinoa
  • 1/4 cup chicken broth
  • 1 teaspoon dried sage
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/4 cup chopped pecans (optional)
  • 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit (200 degrees Celsius). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Cut each acorn squash in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds and stringy pulp.
  3. Brush the cut sides of the squash lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the squash cut-side down on the prepared baking sheet.
  4. Roast the squash for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the flesh is tender when pierced with a fork. Remove from the oven and turn the squash cut-side up.
  5. While the squash roasts, prepare the filling. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook, breaking it up with a spoon, until browned. Drain off excess grease.
  6. Add the diced onion and apple to the skillet with the sausage. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes until the onion is soft and the apple begins to soften.
  7. Stir in the dried cranberries, cooked quinoa, chicken broth, sage, salt, and pepper. Cook for 2 minutes until the liquid is mostly absorbed. Remove from heat.
  8. Spoon the sausage mixture evenly into the hollowed centers of the roasted squash halves.
  9. If using, sprinkle the tops with chopped pecans and Parmesan cheese.
  10. Return the stuffed squash to the oven and bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until the filling is heated through and the cheese is lightly melted.
  11. Serve immediately as a healthy comfort food or seasonal vegetable side dish.

Notes

  • For a vegetarian stuffed squash option, substitute the sausage with 1 pound of cooked lentils or mushrooms and increase the quinoa to 1 cup.
  • This recipe is naturally gluten free. For a low carb acorn squash version, omit the quinoa and use extra vegetables or nuts in the filling.
  • You can prepare the filling a day ahead and store it in the refrigerator. Stuff the squash just before the final baking step.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://cookerycommand.com/stuffed-acorn-squash-recipe/