Description
This Stuffed Acorn Squash recipe combines tender roasted squash halves filled with a savory mixture of ground turkey, sautéed mushrooms, crisp honeycrisp apples, fresh rosemary, and melted cheese. It’s a comforting, lightly spiced dish perfect for fall and winter meals.
Ingredients
Scale
Acorn Squash
- 2 whole acorn squash, cut in half
- 1 tablespoon olive oil (for roasting)
Stuffing
- 1 lb ground turkey (or ground beef)
- 1 ½ cups diced baby bella mushrooms
- 1 cup peeled and diced honeycrisp apples
- ½ cup low sodium chicken stock
- 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil (for sautéing)
Topping
- 1 cup shredded cheese (cheddar, gruyere, or mozzarella)
Instructions
- Preheat and prepare squash: Preheat the oven to 450°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and lightly spray it with olive oil to prevent sticking.
- Prepare squash halves: Slice the acorn squash in half vertically and scoop out the seeds. Place the squash halves cut-side down on the prepared baking sheet.
- Roast the squash: Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, or until the flesh is tender when pierced with a fork.
- Cook the turkey: While the squash roasts, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the ground turkey and brown for about 10 minutes until almost fully cooked.
- Prepare other stuffing ingredients: While the turkey cooks, chop the mushrooms, apples, and fresh rosemary finely.
- Sauté stuffing mix: Add the chopped mushrooms, apples, chicken stock, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, salt, and rosemary to the pan with the turkey. Sauté for an additional 5 minutes, allowing flavors to meld and ingredients to soften.
- Scoop out squash flesh: Remove the roasted squash from the oven and carefully scoop out most of the flesh into the pan with the turkey mixture, leaving a small border of squash intact in the halves to maintain structure.
- Combine filling: Stir the scooped squash flesh thoroughly into the turkey, mushroom, and apple mixture to combine evenly.
- Stuff squash halves: Spoon the prepared filling back into each hollowed acorn squash half, mounding it slightly as needed.
- Add cheese and finish baking: Top each stuffed squash with shredded cheese. Return to the oven at 450°F and bake for another 5 to 10 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Optional broil: For a crispy cheese topping, broil the stuffed squash for 2 to 3 minutes more, watching closely to avoid burning.
- Serve: Remove from oven and serve warm as a hearty main dish.
Notes
- This stuffed acorn squash recipe is versatile—swap ground turkey for sausage, ground beef, or keep it vegetarian by omitting meat and adding extra mushrooms or legumes.
- Using honeycrisp apples adds a lovely sweet balance to the savory filling, but other crisp apple varieties can work as well.
- Be careful when broiling to prevent cheese from burning—stay nearby to monitor.
- For a gluten-free version, ensure all ingredients like chicken stock and spices are certified gluten-free.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 0.5 acorn squash (1 of 4 halves)
- Calories: 399 kcal
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 576 mg
- Fat: 15 g
- Saturated Fat: 7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 30 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 37 g
- Cholesterol: 92 mg
