This Sausage Stuffed Acorn Squash features seasonal vegetables, Italian Sausage, and sweet apples. It’s comforting, nutritious, and the perfect recipe to enjoy the abundance of fall.

If you’re looking for more fall favorites to add to your dinner rotation, try my Taco Stuffed Acorn SquashSausage and Kale Stuffed Acorn Squash, and Easy Roasted Acorn Squash Recipe.

Close up of Sausage Stuffed Acorn Squash.
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Acorn squash is a great base for healthy meals because it’s low-calorie and you can easily adapt it to fit your dietary preferences. Not only is this Sausage Stuffed Acorn Squash cozy and delicious.

How To Make Sausage Stuffed Acorn Squash

Ingredients

  • Acorn squash — 2 small acorn squash cut in half with the seeds set aside.
  • Olive oil — I prefer extra virgin olive oil; you could also use avocado oil.
  • Italian sausage — For Whole30, opt for sugar and nitrate-free sausage.  If you don’t have pork sausage, you can use turkey sausage too.
  • Onion — Chopped red onion or yellow onions adds flavor and color to the dish.
  • Bell pepper — I use green bell peppers but you can use any color you prefer.
  • Garlic — You can either mince fresh cloves garlic or use a jar of garlic.
  • Apple — I use Honey Crisp apples, but any variety of red apple will work.
  • Thyme — Fresh thyme adds a light, fragrant element.
  • Kale — 1 cup of kale thoroughly washed and chopped.
  • Dried cranberries — For Whole30, use dried cranberries fruit-sweetened.
  • Seasoning — Sea salt or kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
  • Parsley — Finish the dish with a garnish of fresh parsley or any other fresh herbs you prefer.
Close up of Sausage Stuffed Acorn Squash.

Instructions

Prepare the acorn squash:

  • Before you begin, preheat the oven to 425° F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Cut each acorn squash in half and scoop out the seeds using a metal spoon.
Left: A spoon scooping acorn squash seeds. Right: Clean acorn squash.

Roast the acorn squash:

  • Coat the acorn squash with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
  • Place on a baking sheet, skin side down, and bake for 50-60 minutes until they’re fork tender. The roasting time will vary depending on the size of your acorn squash.
Left: Seasoned acorn squash on a baking sheet. Right: Roasted acorn squash.

Cook the sausage and aromatics:

  • While the squash cooks, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.
  • Add the sausage and cook for 5-6 minutes until brown. As it cooks, use a wooden spoon to break apart any large pieces. 
  • Remove the sausage from the pan and set it aside, leaving the fat in the skillet.
  • Add the onions and bell pepper to the same skillet and cook for 3-5 minutes until they’re soft. Then, add garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
Left: Sausage cooking in a skillet. Right: Onions and peppers added to the skillet.

Prepare the filling:

  • To the same skillet, add the diced apple and thyme. Season with salt and pepper and cook for 1 minute.
  • Add the chopped kale and cranberry and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  • Return the sausage to the skillet and stir well to combine. Then, cook the sausage mixture for 1-2 minutes, allowing the flavors to blend.
Left: Apple, kale, and cranberries added to the skillet. Right: Sausage added to the skillet.

Stuff and broil the acorn squash:

  • Preheat your oven’s broiler.
  • Then, evenly stuff each squash half with the sausage-apple filling.
  • Place the squash on a baking sheet and broil for about 5 minutes.
  • Garnish with a sprinkle of fresh parsley and enjoy!
Close up of Sausage Stuffed Acorn Squash.

Expert Tips

  • If you microwave the acorn squash for a minute or two, it will soften and become much easier to cut.
  • For a quick and nutritious snack, save the seeds from your acorn squash and roast them like pumpkin seeds.
  • You can easily multiply this recipe to fit your needs. A serving size is one-half of an acorn squash per person.
  • When you’re roasting acorn squash, look for a little caramelization around the edges. This is an easy way to add extra flavor.
  • In this sausage and apple stuffed acorn squash recipe, I use nitrate-free sausage, which is better for you.

How To Store Leftovers

  • To Store: Once your leftover acorn squash has cooled, store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
  • To Reheat: Reheat in a microwave or in the oven at 350°F until heated through.

What To Serve with Sausage Stuffed Acorn Squash

Recipe Variations

  • Add grains: To make this dish even more satisfying, add a whole grain to the filling, such as wild rice or quinoa.
  • Top with cheese: A salty, melty cheese would be so yummy on top. Try a sprinkle of freshly grated parmesan cheese or crumbled goat cheese.
  • Switch up the squash: Enjoy all the winter squash while it’s in season and make a variation of this recipe with your favorite squash variety such as delicata squash. See my stuffed butternut squash with Italian sausage recipe for inspiration!
  • Nut: top this recipe with your favorite nut such as pecans, almonds or walnut.

Want more seasonal recipes? Try these 40 Easy Fall Dinner Recipes!

Sausage Stuffed Acorn Squash

3.97 from 32 votes
Author: Olivia Ribas
Servings4 people
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 15 minutes
Total Time1 hour 30 minutes
This Sausage Stuffed Acorn Squash features seasonal vegetables, Italian Sausage, and sweet apples. It’s comforting, nutritious, and the perfect recipe for fall.
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Ingredients 
 

For Acorn

  • 2 small acorn squash cut in half and set seeds aside
  • 1 tbsp olive oil plus sea salt and black pepper, for roasting
  • salt and black pepper to taste

For the Stuffing

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • ½ lb Italian sausage
  • 1 cup red onion chopped
  • 1 cup green bell pepper chopped
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 1 medium apple diced I used Honey Crispy apple.
  • 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves chopped
  • 1 cup kale chopped
  • ¼ cup dried cranberries fruit
  • sea salt and pepper to taste
  • fresh parsley

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 425F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
  • Pour olive oil over the acorn squash and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
  • Bake in oven for 50-60 minutes, until skin is soft and fork-tender (Roasting time will vary depending on the size of your squash).
  • While squash roasts, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.
  • Add sausage and cook for 5-6 minutes until brown, using a wooden spoon to break apart coarse pieces. Then, set the sausage aside, but leave the fat in the skillet.
  • In the same skillet, add onions and green bell pepper. Cook until they’re soft, 3-5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
  • Add diced apple, thyme and salt and pepper to taste. Cook for 1 minute. Add chopped kale and cranberry. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  • Bring back the sausage and stir well to combine. Cook for 1-2 minutes to blend flavors.
  • Preheat your broiler and divide apple-sausage filling among squashes.
  • Once filled, place the baking sheet under the broiler and broil for 5 minutes or so. Garnish with fresh minced parsley and enjoy!

Notes

  • If you are having trouble cutting the acorn squash, you can microwave the squash for a bit to help soften it.
  • Save the seeds from the acorn squash and roast them like pumpkin seeds.
  • Easily multiply this recipe and plan ½ of an acorn squash per person.
  • Add flavor with a little caramelization on the roasted squash.
  • To store: Place leftover stuffed acorn squash in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
  • To reheat: Reheat in the microwave or oven at 350°F until heated through.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/4, Calories: 422kcal, Carbohydrates: 48g, Protein: 12g, Fat: 25g, Cholesterol: 43mg, Sodium: 1014mg, Potassium: 1193mg, Fiber: 8g, Sugar: 14g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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Olivia Ribas

Welcome

Hi, I'm Olivia


Happy to have you here! I’ve been creating and sharing tasty, easy-to-make recipes on Primavera Kitchen for over 10 years now! I’m all about simple, delicious recipes made with fresh, seasonal, and wholesome ingredients that your whole family will love.

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3.97 from 32 votes (28 ratings without comment)

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18 Comments

  1. sandhya says:

    My heart is melting. I am try the recipe in my weeekends.

    1. Olivia Ribas says:

      I’m sure you’ll like it a lot 😉

  2. Carol says:

    what would be a good substitute for the kale?

    1. Olivia Ribas says:

      Spinach and Green collard.

  3. dianne roy says:

    that looks amazing. If you were using fresh cranberries how much would you use?

    1. Olivia Ribas says:

      I probably would use 1/2 cup. But you can use more if you prefer.

  4. Maria says:

    Can I use an equal amount of ground turkey in place of the sausage??

    1. Olivia Ribas says:

      Yes you absolutely can 😉

  5. Kristyn karen Helander says:

    1/4 of the recipe? Does this mean one half of the 2 squash used in the recipe?

    1. Olivia Ribas says:

      Yes it’s one half of the 2 squash used in the recipe.

  6. Elaina says:

    This recipe was delicious. Perfect sweet & savory combo. I plan to make it again and again! 

    1. Olivia Ribas says:

      Happy you liked it.

  7. Jovan says:

    Amazing!! What perfect fall favors! To save time, I chose not to stuff the squash but instead cut the squash in rings to cook them faster. I also used ground chicken to make it a bit lighter. It turned out wonderfully. I love the sweet bits of apple and cranberries combined with the savory sausage. Delicious!

    1. Olivia Ribas says:

      So happy you liked this recipe. It’s one of my fave fall recipes too!

  8. Christine says:

    Our favorite fall recipe!

    1. Olivia Ribas says:

      This makes me so happy to hear!

  9. Lara says:

    Made this tonight for a dinner party. I have never made acorn squash before. I did not use onion and I used red bell pepper in place of green. Everything else was to the recipe. They were AMAZING! Everyone loved them so much. It made plenty of filling so we are going to have leftovers with roasted sweet potatoes.

    1. Olivia Ribas says:

      That’s perfect! this is one of my fave recipes for this time of the year!