A delicious fall recipe is this stuffed Acorn Squash filled with sausage. This dish stuffs roasted acorn squash with toasted almonds and savory pig sausage. After that, it is cooked until the sausage filling is golden brown and the squash is soft.
I am very happy when summer ends. This is not a widely held belief in many parts of the world, but where I reside in South Florida, it is far too hot! If you’ve ever experienced a summer in Miami, you understand what I mean.
SAUSAGE STUFFED ACORN SQUASH INGREDIENTS
- Produce: You can find the majority of the components for this fall recipe in the produce area, including celery, garlic, onions (either white or yellow), and acorn squash.
- Sausage: We use roll-formed pork sausage (Jammy Dean, though other brands are also available) for this recipe. You may also add a ton of flavor by using mild or hot Italian sausage.
- Oil: We delicately brush the inside of the squash with olive oil or a mild-flavored oil that will not burn or smoke while baking.
- Almonds: In bigger supermarket shops, you may get sliced almonds online or in the produce or baking area. To prolong their shelf life, put them in a zip-top bag in the refrigerator after they are opened.
- Herbs & spices: We only use kosher salt to season the stuffed squash. Because the sausage has so much flavor, we don’t need to use as many other ingredients. Additionally, adding a little parsley, cut finely, as a garnish at the end gives some color if desired.
You will also need:
- Large baking sheet – use a large enough pan where the squash does not touch
- Parchment paper – to prevent sticking and easy clean up
- Pastry brush – to apply the oil on the acorn squash pieces
HOW TO MAKE SAUSAGE STUFFED ACORN SQUASH
Turn the oven on to 400°F.
- Get the acorn squash ready.
- First, cut a tiny bit off of either end. To ensure that the flesh remains intact, keep the piece thin.
- Cut each in half lengthwise; in the middle, so that the ends of each half are chopped off.
- Gently remove the seeds using a spoon.
Put parchment paper on the bottom of a large baking sheet. Lay out each piece, cut side up, on the baking sheet. Add a small amount of salt and a light coat of olive oil. Give the acorn squash 20 minutes to roast.
Acorn squash should be baking as you prepare the sausage combination.
Preheat the almonds.
In a nonstick pan set over medium heat, carefully sauté the almonds for 5 to 7 minutes, or until they begin to become a light golden color. Keep a watch on them and shake the skillet often to prevent burning. Take the skillet off of the burner.
Cook the sausage mixture
- In a big, deep pan, heat up one tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Stir constantly and sauté the onions and celery for 3 minutes, or until the onions become transparent and begin to soften.
- Stirring constantly, sauté the garlic for one minute after adding it.
- Add the sausage and turn the heat up to medium-high. Cook, stirring regularly and breaking up large chunks with a wooden spoon or spatula, for approximately 5 to 6 minutes until browned.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low, add the almond slices, toss to mix, and simmer, stirring often, for 5 to 6 minutes, or until the almonds are cooked through.
After removing any extra rendered oil, if preferred, remove the sausage mixture from the stove and let it cool slightly to prevent steaming.
STUFF THE ROASTED ACORN SQUASH
As you divide the sausage mixture among the four acorn squash halves, preheat the oven to 350°F.
Put them back in the oven and bake for a further twenty minutes, or until a fork or knife inserted into the squash comes out soft.
To prevent the acorn squash’s bottom from giving out, serve using a spatula. If preferred, garnish with finely chopped parsley and savor.
MORE RECIPES YOU MIGHT LIKE
Sausage Stuffed Acorn Squash
Ingredients
- 2 Acorn Squash ends cut off cut in half and seeds scooped out
- 2 tablespoons Olive Oil divided 1 tablespoon for the acorn squash and 1 tablespoon to cook the sausage
- ½ teaspoon Salt we use kosher salt
- ½ cup Sliced Almonds lightly toasted
- 1 Small Onion finely diced
- 2 Celery Ribs diced
- 2-3 Garlic Cloves minced
- 1 pound Pork Sausage casings removed and torn into small pieces or use bulk sausage
- Chopped Parsley for garnish optional
Instructions
- Additionally, you’ll need: Pastry brush, big baking sheet, and parchment paper
- Set oven temperature to 400°F.
- Grease a big baking sheet; this will help it from sticking and make cleanup easier.
Prepare the acorn squash
- Cut a tiny slice from the acorn squash’s two ends, being careful not to cut into the flesh too much.
- Cut each in half lengthwise; in the middle, so that the ends of each half are chopped off.
- Gently remove the seeds using a spoon.
- Place the hollow side up of each half on the baking sheet. Add a small amount of salt and a light coat of olive oil.
- The acorn squash should bake for 20 minutes.
Prepare the sausage mixture while the acorn squash is in the oven
- In a nonstick pan over medium heat, toast the almonds until they become lightly brown, about 5 to 7 minutes. Keep a watch on them and shake the skillet often to prevent burning. Take the skillet off of the burner.
Cook the sausage
- In a big, deep pan, heat up one tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Stir constantly and sauté the onions and celery for 3 minutes, or until the onions become transparent and begin to soften.
- Stirring constantly, sauté the garlic for one minute after adding it.
- Add the sausage and turn the heat up to medium-high. Cook, stirring regularly and breaking up large chunks with a wooden spoon or spatula, for approximately 5 to 6 minutes until browned.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low, add the almond slices, toss to mix, and simmer, stirring often, for 5 to 6 minutes, or until the almonds are cooked through.
- If desired, remove extra rendered oil. Refer to the notes section.
- If necessary, add salt after tasting the sausage. As an example, we didn’t add anything further to ours.
- To prevent steaming, remove the skillet from the heat and let it cool somewhat.
Stuff the acorn squash
- Set oven temperature to 350°F.
- Spoon out the sausage mixture amongst the four pieces of acorn squash.
- Put them back in the oven and bake for a further twenty minutes, or until a fork or knife inserted into the squash comes out soft.
- To prevent the acorn squash’s bottom from giving out, serve using a spatula. If preferred, garnish with finely chopped parsley and savor.