Description
A delicious and easy Stuffed Acorn Squash recipe featuring roasted acorn squash halves filled with a savory mixture of ground turkey, mushrooms, apples, and aromatic herbs, topped with melted cheese. Perfect for a comforting fall or winter meal, this dish combines sweet and savory flavors with a satisfying texture.
Ingredients
Scale
Squash and Topping
- 2 whole acorn squash, cut in half
- 1 tablespoon olive oil (for roasting)
- 1 cup shredded cheese (cheddar, gruyere, or mozzarella)
Filling
- 1 tablespoon olive oil (for cooking)
- 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
Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare Squash: Preheat your oven to 450°F (232°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Lightly spray the parchment paper with olive oil to prevent sticking.
- Prepare Acorn Squash Halves: Slice each acorn squash in half vertically and scoop out the seeds. Place the squash halves cut-side down on the prepared baking sheet.
- Roast Squash: Bake the squash in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes or until tender when pierced with a fork.
- Cook Ground Turkey: While the squash roasts, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the ground turkey and cook, browning it for approximately 10 minutes until it is almost fully cooked through.
- Prepare and Add Fillings: Chop the mushrooms, apples, and fresh rosemary while the turkey cooks. Add the mushrooms, apples, chicken stock, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, black pepper, and rosemary to the skillet with the turkey. Sauté for an additional 5 minutes, allowing flavors to meld and the mixture to cook through.
- Scoop Squash Flesh: Remove the roasted squash from the oven and carefully scoop out most of the flesh from each half, leaving a thin layer to maintain the structure. Add this squash flesh to the turkey mixture in the skillet and stir well to combine.
- Stuff the Squash: Spoon the turkey and squash mixture back into each hollowed acorn squash half, dividing evenly. Top each filled half with shredded cheese.
- Final Bake: Return the stuffed squash to the oven at 450°F and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbly. For a crispy cheese topping, broil for 2-3 minutes, watching carefully to avoid burning.
Notes
- This recipe is very versatile: feel free to substitute the ground turkey with sausage or keep it vegetarian by omitting meat and adding extra vegetables or beans.
- Using honeycrisp apples adds a sweet contrast to the savory filling, but other firm apples can be substituted.
- The cheese choice can be tailored to your taste or dietary needs—mozzarella for a milder flavor or gruyere for something richer.
- To reduce sodium, use no-salt-added chicken stock and adjust seasoning accordingly.
- Be careful when broiling; cheese can burn quickly under high heat.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 0.5 acorn squash (1 out 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
