Stuffed Acorn Squash
Stuffed Acorn Squash is an easy, complete fall meal. It takes about an hour to make so it’s perfect for the weekends.
This vegetable, sausage and rice filled acorn squash will be your new way to enjoy squash. It is packed with veggies so there’s no need to make a side salad.
This recipe will work with other winter squash like butternut, mashed potato or delicata squash.
What you Need
- Acorn Squash: Use fresh acorn squash that is free of any blemishes or bruises.
- Rice: Pick whatever type of rice you have in the house, or your favorite rice. Brown rice, wild rice, white rice or basmati are all fine. This recipe is a great use for leftover rice, too.
- Stock: Chicken or vegetable stock, bouillon, or chicken base will all work. It adds more flavor to the rice.
- Olive Oil: Just to coat the skillet.
- Sausage: Use breakfast, sweet Italian sausage or Mexican chorizo sausage, whichever you’d like.
- Onion: Yellow or white onion or shallots.
- Carrot: Fresh, raw carrots work best.
- Celery: Celery adds a fresh, earthy note.
- Apple: A bit of diced apple adds more fall flavor to the squash.
- Spinach: Fresh spinach that is wilted, frozen spinach that you wilted before.
- Cheese: Grated cheddar cheese will add a bit of nutty, slightly salty flavor to the filling.
- Herbs: Use fresh thyme if it is available. If not, you can substitute dry thyme. You can also add other fresh herbs like sage and rosemary.
- Seasoning: Salt and black pepper to taste.
How to Make it
Although there are a few steps, this recipe is very easy. The filling is done when the squash is done par-baking. Then you just need to fill it and heat up the filling and melt the cheese.
Remove the stem by just breaking it off. Carefully cut the squash in half with a sharp chef’s knife.
Remove the seeds with a tablespoon. Rub the flesh with a thin coat of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Roast cut-side up.
Boil chicken or vegetable broth to cook the rice. If you have leftover rice, skip this step.
Cook the rice according to the package directions. Remove from heat and let it cool.
Chop the sausage. If you have small links, you can just cut them, large links should have the meat removed for the casings.
Brown the sausage in a large skillet. When it is done, pour it into a large mixing bowl.
Meanwhile, chop the vegetables and the apple.
Add the mirepoix (vegetables) and apple to the same skillet the sausage was browned in. Season with salt and pepper. Soften them for 10 minutes or so, turning often so that they don’t brown.
While the vegetables are softening, chop the spinach.
Wilt the spinach in the same skillet with a splash of olive oil, flipping often. Season the spinach with salt and pepper.
Pro tip: Chop and wilt the whole bag. Use what you need for this recipe. Then, place the remainder in freezer-safe containers or bags and freeze for use in another recipe.
Continue to cook and stir until the spinach is just wilted.
Add all of the filling ingredients to a large bowl.
Mix ingredients for the filling together.
Remove the cooked squash from the oven when they are fork tender.
Fill the squash halves with the filling mixture. Round up the filling so that they are full and pretty. Return them to the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes until the filling is hot and the cheese is melted. If the rice filling is still hot, it won’t take long. If you are using cold leftover rice, it will take longer.
How to Store Leftovers
Place leftover squash in airtight containers. Refrigerate for 3-4 days.
To reheat, place squash halves on a microwave-safe plate. Microwave on high for 2 minutes or so, until hot. Or, heat the squash in a 350°F oven, wrapped in aluminum foil for 25 minutes, until hot.
Freeze leftovers up to three months for a quick meal on another night. Reheat it from frozen in the oven instead of the microwave. It will take about 35 minutes to reheat.
More Delicious Winter Squash Recipes
- Air Fryer Butternut Squash
- Butternut Squash Soup
- Turban Squash Recipe
- Mashed Potato Squash
- Blue Hubbard Squash
- Sweet Dumpling Squash
- Honeynut Squash
- Stuffed Spaghetti Squash
- Roasted Butternut
This savory stuffed acorn squash recipe will become your favorite way to eat winter squash. It is great side dish for Christmas or Thanksgiving holiday, or a delicious weekend meal.
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I hope you enjoyed the recipe today.
Enjoy. And have fun cooking!
Stuffed Acorn Squash
Ingredients
- 2 acorn squash
- 1 cup cooked rice, cooled
- 6 ounces breakfast sausage
- ½ cup onion diced
- ½ cup celery chopped
- ½ cup carrot diced
- ½ cup apple diced
- ½ bag fresh spinach
- 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
- ½ teaspoon fresh thyme, minced
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Remove the squash stem by just breaking it off. Carefully cut the squash in half with a sharp chef’s knife.2 acorn squash
- Remove the seeds with a tablespoon. Rub the flesh with a thin coat of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet for easy clean up. Roast cut-side up.
- Boil chicken stock to cook the rice. If you have leftover rice, skip this step.1 cup cooked rice, cooled
- Cook the rice according to the package directions. Remove from heat and let it cool.
- Chop the sausage. If you have small links, you can just cut them, large links should have the meat removed for the casings.6 ounces breakfast sausage
- Brown the sausage in a large cast iron skillet. When it is done, transfer it into a large mixing bowl.
- Meanwhile, chop the vegetables and the apple.½ cup onion, ½ cup celery, ½ cup carrot, ½ cup apple
- Add the mirepoix (vegetables) and apple to the same skillet the sausage was browned in. Season with salt and pepper. Soften them over medium heat for 10 minutes or so, turning often so that they don’t brown. Transfer the vegetables to the bowl with the sausage.
- Wilt the spinach in the same skillet with a splash of olive oil, flipping often. Season the spinach with salt and pepper.½ bag fresh spinach
- Pro tip: Chop and wilt the whole bag. Use what you need for this recipe. Then, place the remainder in freezer-safe containers or bags and freeze for use in another recipe.
- Continue to cook and stir until the spinach is just wilted.
- Add all of the filling ingredients to a large bowl with the sausage and vegetables.1 cup cheddar cheese, ½ teaspoon fresh thyme, minced
- Mix the ingredients for the filling together.
- Remove the cooked squash from the oven when they are easily pierced with a fork..
- Fill the squash halves with the stuffing mixture. Round up the filling so that they are full and pretty. Return them to the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes until the filling is hot and the cheese is melted. If the rice filling is still hot, it won’t take long. If you are using cold leftover rice, it will take longer.
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