Stuffed Acorn Squash – Super Healthy Kids

This Stuffed Acorn Squash is a healthy dinner that is super filling and packed with nutrition and flavor! Savory sausage, fresh apple and celery with sweet cranberries and fresh sage.

Winter squash is sweet, creamy and so delicious! It is incredibly versatile and you can cook it in so many ways! Acorn squash is one of my favorite winter squash because it is small, easier to cut, and has a sweet, nutty flavor and is a bit more mild than other winter squash.

Ingredients For Stuffed Acorn Squash

• Acorn Squash: Medium size acorn squash.
• Onion: Yellow or white onions work great.
• Garlic: You can buy cloves or pre-minced.
• Apple: This recipe works great with a more tart apple – green or pink lady are my favorite.
• Celery:
• Italian Sausage: I prefer pork sausage for this recipe, but you can use turkey italian sausage if you would like to lower the amount of fat.
• Sage: Fresh sage leaves will give you the most flavor.
• Chicken Broth
• Cranberries: Dried cranberries are great for this.

How to Cut Acorn Squash

There are lots of ways to cut acorn squash depending on how you are using it. For this recipe there are two ways you can cut it.

1. Cut from the stem down in half until you slice the entire squash. The easiest way is to cut down one of the ridges to stabilize your knife.
2. Cut in half horizontally. Slice the bottom part of the pointy half off so that it can sit flat on the baking sheet. This way creates a bit deeper space to fill with your filling.

How to Make Stuffed Acorn Squash

1. The first step is to prep and bake your acorn squash. Once your squash is cut, lightly brush with oil and then season with salt and pepper.
2. While the squash is cooking, make your filling by sauteing onion, apple, celery, garlic, sausage and sage.
3. When your squash is done, fill each half with the sausage mixture.
4. You can top with cheese and bake for just a few minutes until melted and bubbly. Enjoy!

Substitutions in Stuffed Acorn Squash

More Favorite Squash Recipes

• 3 medium acorn squash cut in half, seeds removed
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 medium onion diced
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 medium apple cored and diced
• 1 stalk celery chopped
• 1 pound italian sausage
• 2 tablespoons fresh sage minced
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt more to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper more to taste
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries

• Preheat oven to 450°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray.

• Rinse the outside of the acorn squash and cut in half. Scoop out the seeds and place squash face up on the baking sheet. Lightly brush with oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake squash for 25-30 minutes or until fork tender.

• While your squash are baking, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add onion, celery and apple and saute until softened. This will take about 10 minutes. Add garlic and sage towards the last few minutes.

• Add the sausage to your pan and cook until browned, breaking it up into small pieces. Once the sausage is brown, add chicken broth and stir to combine. Cook for a few more minutes until the chicken broth has soaked into the mixture. Remove from heat and stir in cranberries.

• When the acorn squash is done baking, remove from the oven and fill each squash with the sausage/veggie mixture. You can sprinkle your choice of cheese on top and bake for an additional 5 minutes to melt the cheese if you want! Serve warm and enjoy.

Calories: 434kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 14g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 58mg | Sodium: 736mg | Potassium: 1035mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 839IU | Vitamin C: 28mg | Calcium: 110mg | Iron: 3mg