Description
This Stuffed Acorn Squash recipe features tender roasted acorn squash halves filled with a savory mixture of ground turkey, baby bella mushrooms, honeycrisp apples, and fresh rosemary, topped with melted cheese. It’s a delicious, comforting dish perfect for a hearty dinner that balances savory and sweet flavors.
Ingredients
Scale
Squash
- 2 whole acorn squash, cut in half
- 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for spraying
Filling
- 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 cup shredded cheese (cheddar, gruyere, or mozzarella)
Instructions
- Preheat and prepare squash: Preheat the oven to 450°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spray the parchment with olive oil to prevent sticking.
- Slice and roast squash halves: Cut the acorn squash in half vertically and scoop out seeds. Place the squash halves cut-side down on the baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes until the flesh is tender when pierced with a fork.
- Cook turkey: While the squash roasts, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Brown the ground turkey for about 10 minutes until nearly cooked through.
- Prepare vegetables and herbs: While cooking turkey, dice mushrooms and apples and finely chop rosemary.
- Add mixture to turkey: Add the mushrooms, apples, chicken stock, rosemary, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper to the pan. Sauté together for an additional 5 minutes until everything is well combined and cooked through.
- Remove squash flesh: When the squash is done, take it out of the oven and scoop out most of the cooked flesh, leaving a small layer inside the squash shell.
- Combine squash with filling: Add the scooped squash flesh to the turkey mixture in the pan. Stir well to incorporate the squash into the filling.
- Stuff squash and add cheese: Spoon the turkey and squash mixture back into the hollowed-out acorn squash shells. Sprinkle evenly with shredded cheese on top.
- Final bake: Bake the stuffed squash at 450°F for 5 to 10 minutes until the cheese has melted. Optionally, broil for 2 to 3 minutes to crisp the cheese on top.
Notes
- This recipe is versatile; try substituting ground turkey with sausage or make it vegetarian by using beans or lentils instead of meat.
- Use any cheese you prefer – cheddar, gruyere, or mozzarella all work well.
- Make sure not to overcook the squash initially; it should be tender but firm enough to hold the filling.
- Low sodium chicken stock helps control the saltiness of the dish.
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: 8 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 30 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 37 g
- Cholesterol: 92 mg
