Stuffed Acorn Squash (Gluten, Grain, & Dairy Free, Whole 30, Paleo)

Come September, I am craving all the squash, and acorn is definitely one of my favourites. Its mild flavour lends to so many different flavour combinations making it so so versatile.

This flavour combo is super festive and super tasty. The saltiness from the sausage, the savoury herbs, the tartness from the apples and the sweetness from the dried cranberries give me all the holiday feels.

This recipe is perfect as a meal on its own or as a hearty side. You can sub the protein for any ground meat of your choice (ground turkey would be so great here …just saying)

This recipe can be easily part of your weekly meal prep because you can cook the stuffing and roast the squash ahead time. This way you just fill the squash, broil and serve!

Ingredients:

• 2 medium-sized acorn squash
• 3 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1 lb pork sausage meat
• 1 small onion diced
• 2 celery stalks diced
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 small Granny Smith apple diced
• 1 tsp dry sage
• 1 tsp dry thyme
• 1/3 cup dried cranberries
• 1/3 cup raw pecans chopped and toasted
• Sea salt to taste

Directions

To Roast the Squash

• Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Cut each squash in half lengthwise, the scoop out the seeds with a spoon
• Brush the top of each squash half with melted coconut oil and sprinkle lightly with sea salt
• Place the squash halves face down on prepared baking sheet, and roast for 25-30 minutes, (the top of the squash should feel soft to the touch)

To Prepare the Stuffing:

• In a large skillet, add the remaining coconut oil and warm over med-hi until melted.
• Add your sausage and cook until evenly browned.
• Once browned, remove the sausage from the pan and transfer to a bowl, leaving fat in the skillet.
• Add the onions and celery, and cook until softened, about 3 minutes.
• Add the garlic and cook another minute, stir frequently to avoid the garlic burning
• Add the diced apples, herbs and salt to taste, stir to combine and cook until apples have softened.
•  Add the cranberries, pecans, and browned sausage back to the skillet, lower heat to med/low and continue to cook another 2 minutes to blend flavours.

To Stuff the Squash

• Turn on your broiler and arrange the 4 squash halves face-up on the baking sheet.
• Scoop the stuffing mixture into each one. (You might have leftover stuffing depending on how large your each squash is and how much you stuffing you add.. don’t worry, it tastes great on its own too!)
• Once you’ve filled the squash, place under the broiler and broil until tops of stuffing and squash are nicely browned, 5 minutes or so

Serve hot and enjoy!