Easy Sausage Stuffed Acorn Squash Recipe (Ready in 1 Hour!)

One of my favorite seasonal vegetables to use in later summer and Fall is the beautiful acorn squash. My Sausage Stuffed Acorn Squash is full of flavor and makes an impressive, attractive plate for family or guests. This dish just screams Fall harvest!

The Sausage Stuffed Acorn Squash Recipe takes advantage of both squash and fennel from the garden or farmer’s market. Plus, both are incredibly good for you, bringing a variety of vitamins and minerals and even fiber to the dinner table.

Why Make Sausage Stuffed Acorn Squash

Not only is the dish tasty, but the presentation is also a wow factor and memory maker. This meal is a Fall tradition your family will remember and talk about for years!

If you like to have more than one dish at each meal, you can serve sausage stuffed acorn squash with a bright salad with vinaigrette for contrast, fresh tomatoes, or a nice crusty bread.

Unlike many of the recipes for stuffed acorn squash, this one does not include any brown sugar, bread crumbs, or parmesan. It’s a completely different take! As an added bonus, as long as you buy GF sausage, this recipe is gluten-free sausage stuffed acorn squash.

Best Squash to Buy

Choose an acorn squash that is firm without any bruises or soft spots. Look for one with nice, smooth skin. If you can hear stuff moving inside when you shake a squash or if it feels surprisingly light when you pick it up, it’s probably been on the shelf for too long. Choose two that are similar in size so that they will finish baking at the same time.

We love squash and eat a lot of acorn and butternut squash. I enjoyed this article on other squash varieties.

What You’ll Need for This Recipe

• Acorn Squash. A lush green squash with a buttery yellow center perfect for baking, soups, or stews.
• Butter. Real is good. Dairy-free will work.
• Salt.
• Black Pepper.

Ingredients for the Sausage Filling

• Olive Oil. You need just enough oil to get the fennel started sauteeing while the sausage cooks up. You may still need to drain off the fat after cooking, depending on how much fat cooks out of the sausage.
• Italian Sausage. Mild, ground sausage is perfect for this recipe.
• Fennel. Diced.
• Spices, fresh or dried. We used thyme, oregano, rosemary, and salt and pepper.
• Garlic. Two fresh cloves. You can buy frozen cloves, but skip the pre-minced garlic in the jar. It contains preservatives that detract from the flavor

Step-by-Step Instructions

This squash meal begins with the gorgeous dark green squash. Of course, the inside is a buttery yellow. Microwave the squash to soften it just enough to make slicing easier. That’s the hardest part of any big squash dish! Once it’s sliced in half and the seeds are all scooped out, you’ll make baked acorn squash following the instructions on the recipe card below.

While it’s baking, you make the sausage filling in a skillet and then bring it all together. The sausage stuffed acorn squash recipe is not difficult, but baking the squash will take close to an hour so you’ll need to plan accordingly. Top with a frond or two from the fennel for a special touch.

Tips for Perfect Stuffed Acorn Squash

How to Know When Squash is Done Baking Your acorn squash is perfectly done when you can easily poke a fork through the flesh without any hard spots. The edges should look slightly golden, and the flesh should feel tender when you press it gently with a spoon. If it still feels firm or looks pale, give it another 10-15 minutes in the oven.

Best Size Squash to Buy Look for medium-sized acorn squash that weigh about 1 to 1.5 pounds each. This size gives you the perfect amount of room for stuffing without being too big to finish at dinner. Avoid tiny squash (they don’t hold much filling) or huge ones (they take forever to cook and can be tough). Two medium squash will feed 4 people as a main dish.

How to Keep Squash Steady While Stuffing Here’s a game-changer: place your baked squash halves in a loaf pan. The sides of the pan will hold them upright so they don’t tip over when you’re spooning in the sausage filling. If you don’t have a pan with sides, you can also slice a tiny bit off the bottom of each squash half (before baking) to create a flat surface that won’t roll around.

Pro tip: If your squash still seems wobbly, crumple up some aluminum foil and tuck it around the sides for extra support!

These tips will save you from the frustration of squash rolling around on your plate and help you get perfect results every time!

How to cut a fennel bulb?

1. Remove the fronds from the bulb. The whispy fronds can be chopped and added to your recipe to they make a beautiful garnish.
2. Cut the bulb vertically.
3. Make a V-cut to remove the root.
4. Slice the bulb vertically.
5. Turn the bulb and thinly chop the bulb.

Watch this quick video can also be helpful.

Storage and Reheating Tips

Storing and reheating works best if the squash is scooped out of the rind first. Refrigerate leftovers for 2 to 3 days in a covered container once completely cooled. Stuffed squash can be reheated in the microwave or on the stovetop.

I do not recommend freezing baked squash. It is already soft and tends to get mealy or change unpleasantly in texture when frozen. You can refrigerate leftovers and reheat them in the microwave for a few days if you’d like.

Variations

Protein: Ground beef or turkey will both work in place of sausage, but bring less flavor to the dish so you may need to up the seasoning. Chorizo is also fantastic and will have a slightly different flavor if you want to make this recipe twice and have it taste different each time.

Squash variety: Butternut squash is a great substitute for acorn squash. They have a similar consistency when baked, but the presentation won’t have as much contrast in color. Butternut squash is also about twice the size of a typical acorn squash so you won’t need as many.

You could also use the sausage filling on spaghetti squash. You can bake it in the exact same way, and then remove it in strands by twisting with a fork and serve it with the sausage on top. It won’t necessarily be sausage “stuffed” squash (although you can serve spaghetti squash in its skin if you prefer), but it will still be quite tasty.

More Fall Squash Recipes

• Chili Stuffed Acorn Squash. Another great choice if you love the flavors of chili!
• Acorn Squash with Bacon – One of our most popular recipes!
• Wild Rice and Apple Stuffed Acorn squash – A fresh and delicious squash that’s a vegetarian option or a great side dish.

You can find all of our side dish recipes here!

If you like this recipe, we would appreciate your comment and a 5-star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review!

Sausage Stuffed Acorn Squash with Fennel

Author: Julie Menghini

Learn how to make delicious sausage stuffed acorn squash with fennel! This easy fall recipe takes just 1 hour and makes a perfect gluten-free dinner.

4.94 from 15 votes

Print Recipe Save thisSaved! Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 50 minutes mins

Course Main Dish, Sides

Cuisine American

Keyword: Baked Acorn Squash, stuffed acorn squash

Servings: 4 Servings

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Equipment

• 3 Qt Dutch Oven
• 8×4 Loaf Pan
• Vegetable Brush

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

Squash

• 2 Acorn Squash
• 4 tsp butter divided
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

Sausage Filling

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 lb Italian Sausage ground/mild
• 1/4 cup fennel diced
• 1/2 tsp thyme fresh or dried
• 1/2 tsp oregano fresh or dried
• 1/2 tsp rosemary fresh or dried
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

Garnishes – chopped fennel fronds

Instructions

 

Squash

• Preheat the oven (or grill) to 400 °F.
• Wash the outside of the squash.
• Microwave the whole acorn squash for 3 to 3-1/2 minutes.  Remove with hot pads or a towel.  Lay the squash on its side (not end) and slice the squash in half.  Scoop out the seeds using a spoon.  Put the squash in a baking dish lined with parchment paper. A loaf pan works well too.
• Melt the butter and brush the cut halves of each acorn squash. Pour any remaining equally into the cavity of each squash.
• Sprinkle the salt and pepper over each half of the squash.
• Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until the squash is fork-tender.

Sausage filling – Make while squash is baking

• Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the ground sausage and fennel. Cook until the sausage is completely cooked. Add garlic and cook just for another minute or two. If necessary, drain off any fat.
• Stir in rosemary, thyme, oregano, salt, and pepper.  Cook until the spices are aromatic, just a minute or two.
• Spoon the sausage filling into the cooked squash. Garnish with fennel fronds and serve.

Notes

Microwaving the squash for 3 minutes makes cutting it in half and scooping the insides out much easier.

Nutrition

Calories: 538kcalCarbohydrates: 24gProtein: 18gFat: 42gSaturated Fat: 16gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5gMonounsaturated Fat: 19gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 97mgSodium: 1310mgPotassium: 1073mgFiber: 4gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 941IUVitamin C: 28mgCalcium: 105mgIron: 3mg

Nutritional Disclaimer

This recipe was calculated using the exact brands and measurements I used to make this recipe. If you are following a strict diet please note changing anything will cause the nutritional info to change. My calculations are intended as a guide only.

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Thank you to our #FallFlavors sponsors, Millican Pecan, Dixie Crystals, Melissa’s Produce, Taylor & Colledge, Nairn’s, and Republic of Tea who supported this year’s events!

Welcome to #FallFlavors where more than 25 food bloggers are sharing recipes with favorite Fall flavors. Our sponsors, Millican Pecan, Dixie Crystals, Melissa’s Produce, Taylor & Colledge, Nairn’s, and Republic of Tea, furnished participating bloggers with complimentary product to use in their recipe creations. Be sure to follow our Fall Flavors Pinterest account for more inspiration.

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