Acorn Squash Stuffed with Turkey Sausage
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Sweet, nutty acorn squash stuffed with a savory homemade turkey sausage, onions and gooey mozzarella cheese and baked to perfection. You won’t believe how simply easy these are to make, and they look so fancy! Serve this satisfying Acorn Squash Stuffed with Turkey Sausage as a side dish during the holidays or as the main course!
Acorn Squash. We’ve all seen it at the store, but how many times have you actually taken one home and cooked it? To be honest, I only recently realized how insanely delicious these things are when they’re prepared right.
Not only is this is a sweet alternative to higher carb dishes, it’s also packed with nutrients! In addition to its really delicious sweet, nutty flavor.
To celebrate this often forgotten little squash, I’m bringing you this Acorn Squash Stuffed with Turkey Sausage recipe.
If you’ve never made turkey sausage at home before, you’ve really been missing out! Not only is it ridiculously easy, it’s also a great way to get acquainted with some new spices and impress your guests.
You can also use this turkey sausage recipe to make breakfast patties, just form them into a patty-shape and pan-fry them for a few minutes on each side until cooked through. I’ve done this a few times already, and it’s so good!
My favorite part of this recipe, besides for how pretty these come out, is definitely the mozzarella. I was skeptical at first, but the turkey sausage needed something more if it was going to be legit stuffing material, and mozzarella is what we had in our fridge.
Voila! Turns out, mozzarella and turkey sausage make a pretty good pair.
Another great aspect of this dish is that it’s completely hearty, which I love to have during the cooler fall weather.
It warms you up and fills you up at the same time. ::Contented Sigh::
The turkey sausage stuffing is pretty workable, too. Feel free to add other vegetables, such as sun-dried tomatoes, zucchini or mushrooms, or even raisins or craisins to the turkey filling. I’m partial to apples myself. I bet some root vegetables would do really well in this, too.
I served this to my family with rice on the side. Technically, you could add some cooked rice to this filling and it would be delicious, but I had 3 lbs of turkey and needed something to do with it, and I think this hit the spot pretty well. I would also consider adding some cooked quinoa on the side, as the nutty flavors would really compliment each other.
This is really a fabulous dish if you’re planning on entertaining, or if you’d just like to make a special meal for yourself. It’s easy, nutritious and delicious!
Until next time! -Jacqui
Acorn Squash Stuffed with Turkey Sausage
Ingredients
- 4 medium acorn squash
- 3 tbsp olive oil, extra virgin
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
- 2 medium celery stalks
- 2 medium granny smith apples, peeled and chopped into 1/2-in pieces
- 3 lbs ground turkey
- 3 tsp fennel seeds
- 3 tsp caraway seeds
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp ground thyme
- 1/2 tsp dried sage
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt, or to taste
- 1/2 tsp black pepper, or to taste
- 1 bunch scallions, chopped
- 3 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
Equipment
- Sheet pan
- skillet
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Cut acorn squash in half, scoop out and discard seeds. Cut a thin slice from bottom of squash halves to prevent them from rolling when being stuffed.
- Add 1-2 cups of water to a baking sheet, or until bottom of sheet is covered, and place acorn squash open-sides-down on the sheet. Place in oven and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until soft. Remove from oven and set aside, turning over when cool. Do not turn oven off.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, add olive oil, onion, celery and apples. Cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add ground turkey, fennel seeds, caraway seeds, dried sage, garlic powder, ground cloves, nutmeg, thyme, salt and pepper. Cook until turkey is no longer pink, breaking it into pieces as it cooks. Remove from heat and drain.
- Add scallions and 2 cups mozzarella cheese to turkey and mix all ingredients together. Using a large spoon, evenly distribute turkey sausage into each squash. Top with remaining 1 cup of mozzarella cheese.
- Return squash to oven and cook for 5-10 minutes, or until cheese has melted and squash is heated through.
Notes
Nutrition
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This looks really good. You’ve already gotten me into spaghetti squash; this might have to be the next adventure.
Thanks! You’d like this one a lot, let’s make it next time I see you! 🙂
I don’t like the cold weather, but I DO love all the selections of squashes that come along. This is a great way to use them…..and I love 1 pan meals!!
One pan meals are the best! I hate the cleanup part, it makes it so much easier. 🙂
Perhaps I should bring home a squash the next time I go to the store. For now, I’ll just imagine digging into yours. :p
I highly recommend it! :p
This is so perfect for a cool fall/winter night. I love the combination of flavors and textures and can’t wait to try it. 🙂
Thanks! Let me know what you think!
I love acorn squash but you are so right that I rarely make it… and I’ve never done it stuffed. I can’t wait to try this recipe! So perfect for fall and I’m all about an easy, healthy meal – plus this one looks so impressive! Pinned, yummed and sharing on social media as well 🙂
Wow that first lphotos looks amazing! I love stuffing vegetables and baking them in the oven, love how easy, delicious and varied they can be. Great recipe!
I have a love-hate relationship with squash, but this recipe sounds delicious and I love the contrast of savoury meat and sweet squash.
Oh my! I so want to try this! Looks delicious and just perfect for fall!!
Yummy Yummy, this one looks really good, I love the squash bowls.
This looks SOOOO good. I have loved acorn squash since I was a kid, and I eat a lot of it (especially this time of year), but I’ve never thought to do something like THIS. Just….wow. I’ll definitely be trying this one.
I’ve never had acorn squash that looked and sounded so flavorful! Love the sausage and apple and caraway and fennel seeds! Wow – thanks for this recipe!
I have looked for a recipe that includes squash, and meat. Alas, here it is! Fall/Winter is around the corner (if you can imagine one happening in Texas!) and I’d love to cook this for dinner. Interesting that you have Granny Smith apples in this recipe. I never thought to pair Acorn Squash and Green Apples together. I can’t wait to try this out!
I was interested in this recipe because I have some Italian turkey sausage in my freezer that should be used soon. So, I was surprised to see that it is made with ground turkey. I am assuming that all the spices turn the turkey into “sausage”, so could I use the sausage I have and eliminate the spices (fennel through nutmeg?)
Hi Carol, You are correct, the spices are what makes the ground turkey taste like sausage. You can use pre-made sausage, and I would eliminate the spices. Depending on what type or brand of sausage you have, you might be able to add the nutmeg, but it depends on what spices are already in your sausage. I would then add salt and pepper to taste based on your preferences. I hope that helps! 🙂
No one actual prepared this recipe and reviewed?? Only interested in actual results and not the “looks soo good” comments.