This savory stuffed acorn squash is an easy and impressive way to combine your favorite fall flavors in one delicious and colorful way.
I love the versatility of acorn squash. You can play up its natural sweetness with butter and brown sugar or go the savory route – my personal favorite – by adding a mix of ingredients that compliment the sweet squash and bring in their own range of strong, salty flavors.
For this recipe, I utilized some of my favorite fall ingredients. The stuffing is a mixture of leeks, kale, raisins and turkey sausage with the kale and sausage as the base of this tasty filling. The raisins are a perfect compliment to the squash and add in a different element of sweetness. Top each stuffed squash off with walnuts, Parmesan cheese and a sprinkle of breadcrumbs. The Parmesan helps hold the stuffing together (plus who doesn’t love cheese!) and the walnuts give you that much-needed crunch in each bite.
Serve this festive side dish at your Thanksgiving dinner. It’s guaranteed to be a hit, enjoy!
- 2 acorn squash, halved down the middle, seeds removed
- 4 cups kale, roughly chopped
- 1 large leek, white and light green parts only, halved and sliced
- 6 oz turkey sausage
- ½ cup raisins
- olive oil
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup chopped walnuts
- 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
- pinch of breadcrumbs
- Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut the acorn squash in half and scoop out the seeds and place skin side down in a shallow baking dish. Fill the bottom of the dish with water until it covers the bottom of the squash. Cook for 60 minutes until squash is tender.
- Tip: Heat squash in the microwave for about 3 minutes before cutting in half. It will slightly soften the squash making it much easier to cut into.
- In a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, heat 1 teaspoon oil. Add sausage; cook, breaking into coarse pieces, until brown about 6 minutes and transfer to a bowl. To same skillet, add another teaspoon of oil and leeks. Cook until leeks are soft about 3-5 minutes. Add garlic; cook, 30 seconds. Add kale and chicken broth. Cover and cook until kale is tender about 5 minutes. Stir in the sausage and the raisins.
- Take down the oven heat to 350. Once the squash is finished cooking, set aside to slightly cool then stuff each squash to the brim with the filling. Top each squash with walnuts, Parmesan cheese and breadcrumbs. Sprinkle the edges of the squash with a little salt and pepper. Place the stuffed squash on a baking sheet and cook in the oven for 15 minutes.
Leave a Reply