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Sausage Stuffed Acorn Squash - Two Ways

Spicy Italian Sausage in a tender roasted winter squash - this Sausage Stuffed Acorn Squash is the perfect Fall or Winter dish that is healthy, hearty, and filling. I'll show you how to make this acorn squash in the oven or in the air fryer.

sausage stuffed acorn squash with cheese on top

Stuffed acorn squash

I recently posted my recipes for Honey Roasted Acorn Squash, and I just couldn't get enough of acorn squash. It's such a pretty and tasty Winter squash, and it is the perfect serving bowl shape. So I knew I had to stuff it with something.

Spicy Italian Sausage is the perfect filling for acorn squash. It complements the tender, slightly-sweet squash so perfectly. Of course, if you want, you can go with sweet Italian sausage, or even ground beef, ground pork, or ground turkey. But let's be real, sausage is so much tastier than all those other meats.

overhead image of sausage stuffed acorn squash halves

Related recipe: Chickpea Chorizo Stew

Two variations for this Stuffed Acorn Squash Recipe

I made two slightly different fillings for this recipe:

  • Italian sausage with grape tomatoes (just to add a bit more vegetables to the meal)
  • Italian sausage with raisins

I hope I didn't lose you there with the raisins! If you're a raisin-hater, then fine, I admit this might not be for you. But if you generally like raisins, you've GOT to try adding them to savory recipes, especially ones with ground meat. The sweet and savory combo of raisins and sausage is fantastic. 

You can also try the filling without tomatoes or raisins. It's great on its own too. And if you want to try another filling idea, try the layered sausage and ricotta filling from this sausage stuffed delicata squash recipe.

More Italian sausage recipes: Air Fryer Italian Sausage

sausage stuffed acorn squash

Related recipe: Sausage Stuffed Eggplant

How to make Sausage Stuffed Acorn Squash

This recipe is super easy to make! It does take a while though, because you have to roast the acorn squash first before filling it, and that takes about 40-50 minutes. To roast the acorn squash, just cut them in half, brush with olive oil, and put them in a preheated oven (375F). You can also air fry acorn squash and have it be done faster, in about 20 minutes! Or try stuffing an air fryer delicata squash with the same sausage stuffing.

While the acorn squash is roasting, prepare the filling:

  1. Saute a diced onion and minced garlic in a large skillet
  2. Move the onions to one side of the skillet and add the sausage (either buy sausage meat without the casings, or remove the meat from the casings)
  3. Stir fry the sausage meat, breaking it up with a spatula, until fully cooked. Stir in some fresh herbs, such as parsley
  4. If you want to use add raisins, or some grape or cherry tomatoes (or diced tomatoes), stir them into the sausage mixture
  5. Divide the sausage stuffing mixture between the acorn squash halves, top with cheese, and broil for 1-2 minutes, just until the cheese melts

collage of images on how to make sausage stuffed acorn squash

Love sausage? Try this Sausage Sweet Potato Soup!

Is Acorn Squash Healthy?

Acorn squash is so healthy and has so many nutritional benefits:

  • It is pretty low in calories (½ of a squash is just 90 calories)
  • It has a lot of potassium
  • It has a lot of dietary fiber, which is great for digestion
  • It has a good amount of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin B-6, and magnesium

On top of all this, it is pretty filling. It doesn't taste or feel like a vegetable, so it is very satisfying to eat, but it is low in calories and has a ton of nutrition like a vegetable.

So this sausage stuffed acorn squash dish is a complete meal: vitamins, nutrients, some healthy carbs, and protein from the sausage.

By the way, if you're looking for a simpler acorn squash recipe, try this Honey Roasted Acorn Squash.

Looking for more recipes featuring Fall produce? I gotcha.

If you enjoyed this recipe, let me know with a comment and a star rating below. And don't forget to share it on Facebook and save it on Pinterest for later!

pinterest graphic for sausage stuffed acorn squash

sausage stuffed acorn squash with cheese on top
Print Recipe
4.49 from 27 votes

Sausage Stuffed Acorn Squash

Spicy Italian Sausage in a tender roasted squash - this Sausage Stuffed Acorn Squash is the perfect Fall side dish that is healthy, hearty, and filling.

Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Total Time50 minutes
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Diet: Gluten Free
Servings: 4 people
Author: Kate
Cost: $8

Ingredients

  • 2 acorn squashes - halved
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil - divided
  • 1 yellow onion - diced
  • 2 garlic cloves - minced
  • 1 lb Italian sausage meat - removed from casing
  • ¼ cup fresh parsley leaves - finely diced
  • Optional: 1 cup grape tomatoes cut in half, or ½ cup raisins
  • Optional: 4 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375F.
  • Cut each acorn squash in half. Scoop out the seeds. Brush the inside of each acorn squash half with about ½ tablespoon olive oil. Place in a large roasting dish cut side up, and roast for 40-50 minutes, or until fully cooked and easily pierced with a fork.
  • While the acorn squash halves are roasting, prepare the sausage filling:
    Dice the onion. Mince the garlic.
  • In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil and add the onion and garlic. Saute over medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until the onion starts to soften.
  • Push the onion to one side of the skillet and add the Italian sausage meat. Use a spatula to break up the sausage meat. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, for about 7-10 minutes, or until the sausage is fully cooked. Add the fresh parsley and stir. Remove from heat and wait until the acorn squash is done roasting. Optional: Stir in halved grape tomatoes or raisins, if using.
  • When the acorn squash is fully roasted, carefully remove it from the oven. Scoop about ¼ of the sausage mixture into each acorn squash half. Top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese, if desired. Broil for 1.5 - 2 minutes, or until the top of the sausage mixture gets crispy and the cheese melts.

Notes

To save time, you can air fry acorn squash in about 20 minutes, then pop back in to air fry for another 1-2 minutes with the toppings.

Nutrition

Calories: 536kcal (27%) | Carbohydrates: 26g (9%) | Protein: 19g (38%) | Fat: 45g (69%) | Saturated Fat: 13g (65%) | Sodium: 754mg (31%) | Potassium: 61mg (2%) | Fiber: 4g (16%) | Sugar: 1g (1%) | Vitamin A: 316IU (6%) | Vitamin C: 7mg (8%) | Calcium: 14mg (1%) | Iron: 1mg (6%)

The nutritional information displayed is an estimate and not to be used as dietary or nutritional advice. Consult a nutritionist or dietician for nutritional info based on the exact ingredients you use.

Comments or questions about the recipe?
Recipe Rating




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Debbie

Monday 9th of October 2023

Fantastic and easy recipe!

Cindy

Saturday 29th of October 2022

It’s a keeper!

Kate

Monday 31st of October 2022

Awesome, glad to hear that!!

Sandra Brimmer

Monday 12th of October 2020

This recipe is just what I'm looking for. I want to make it in the slow cooker, and and I'm trying to decide for how long it should be cooked. Could you please suggest a time for me?

Kate

Monday 12th of October 2020

I did some googling and it looks like acorn squash cooks for about 3 hours in a slow cooker on high, when sliced in half. But definitely leave yourself some time to check on it in case it needs to continue cooking.

Also, you'll definitely want to cook the sausage on the stove-top to brown it, and to melt the cheese after the sausage is put into the acorn squash. I suppose the slow cooker would melt the cheese, but if you can melt it in the oven it adds a little bit of a roasted flavor. The oven is definitely the faster and more delicious way to make this acorn squash!

Let me know how it works out for you!

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