Sausage Stuffed Acorn Squash is the type of dish you can make to suit your taste. Now, don't get me wrong, we enjoy acorn squash all by itself. But, when you fill the cavity with a tasty combination of spicy Italian Sausage, garlic, onion, mushrooms, Parmesan cheese, and crunchy buttered bread crumbs, well it takes the Italian sausage stuffed acorn squash to a stellar level.
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❤️ Why you'll love this recipe
- This dish is so easy to make and can be easily tailored to your liking.
- The sausage and acorn squash blend together perfectly to create a delicious and hearty meal.
- This dish is perfect for a fall or winter evening. It's comforting, filling, and will leave you feeling satisfied.
Who doesn't love a good stuffed squash recipe? This one is packed with savory Italian sausage, earthy mushrooms, and of course, plenty of cheese. Plus, it's easy to make and perfect for a dinner party. Your guests will be impressed!
🛒 Ingredients
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Note: The full list of this Italian Sausage Stuffed Squash recipe ingredients with their amounts and options are listed in the recipe card below.
- Italian sausage - you may substitute your favorite variety.
- acorn squash
- baby spinach -- baby kale will also work.
- mushrooms
- leeks -- may use shallots.
- chicken stock -- beef stock or vegetable stock will also work.
- garlic
- salt
- black pepper
- butter -- we use unsalted.
- olive oil
- Parmesan cheese
- panko crumbs -- may use regular breadcrumbs but won't turn out quite as crunchy.
🗒 Instructions
Note: This is an overview of the instructions. The full instructions are in the recipe card below.
- Heat oven to 375 F. Cut a thin slice off the round side of each squash half to create a stable base.
- Rub the flesh with olive oil well.
- Then sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Once the squash is seasoned place squash flesh side down on a baking sheet lined with foil. Then, bake until golden and tender, 30 minutes. Remove from oven; flip squash and set aside.
- In a large skillet, over medium heat, cook the sausage breaking into pieces, until brown, 6 minutes; transfer to a bowl.
- To the same skillet, add the olive oil and leek; cook until leek is soft, 3 minutes.
- Add the mushrooms and continue to cook until they release their moisture and start to brown.
- Add garlic; cook, for 1 minute.
- Add the spinach to the skillet and toss.
- Next, add the broth to the vegetable mixture.
- Cover and cook for about 2 minutes.
- Then add in the sausage.
- In a bowl, combine the panko crumbs and parmesan cheese.
- Divide the sausage evenly between the acorn squash bowls.
- Sprinkle the breadcrumb and cheese mixture evenly over the squash bowls.
- Melt the butter and drizzle over the crumbs. Broil until panko topping is golden, about 2 minutes.
🔪 Equipment
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You’ll need the following items to make this recipe successfully.
🤔 FAQs
These are the questions we are most frequently asked about making Baked Italian Sausage Stuffed Acorn Squash with Mushrooms
I've found that sausage, turkey, Italian link sausage, and chicken all go great with acorn squash.
Acorn squash is a good source of fiber, potassium, and vitamin C. It's also low in calories. This hearty vegetable is full of nutrition to nourish your body.
You can eat the skin of an acorn squash if you want, but I personally find acorn squash skin to be a little too thick.
Yes, you can eat squash seeds, they don't have much as fiber as other seeds but they have a delicious nutty flavor.
👩🏻🍳 Tips
- I used sausage for this recipe, but you can use ground turkey, ground chicken, or even ground beef instead if you prefer.
- If you are not using sausage, then I recommend seasoning the meat when you are browning it.
- Be sure to cook the vegetables until the moisture cooks out, you don't want a watery mixture inside your squash.
- Coat the squash well with the oil so that it cooks evenly in the oven.
- You can add additional seasoning to your squash before roasting such as garlic powder and onion powder if you prefer.
📚 Variations
- Try using a different type of squash such as butternut squash or kabocha squash.
- Add in some chopped kale or Swiss chard for extra greens.
- Swap out the panko crumbs for regular bread crumbs if you prefer.
- You can use different types of cheese instead like mozzarella or cheddar cheese.
- Try a different type of sausage. There are so many varieties and flavors available that you can make a South of the Border baked sausage stuffed acorn squash one day and an Asian-flavored one another day.
🥫 Storage
Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to three days in the fridge.
Reheat the stuffed squash in the oven at 350 degrees for 10 - 12 minutes or until warm all the way through.
📗 Related Recipes
- If you love stuffed squash recipes, then you are going to enjoy this Roasted Stuffed Zucchini recipe.
- Spaghetti Squash is one of my favorite squash varieties, if you are looking for a Perfect Way to Make Spaghetti Squash then this is the recipe for you.
- This Butternut Squash Soup is not only delicious, but it's also creamy and comforting. Your entire family will love this recipe.
- Another soup that is a favorite of ours is the Butternut Sausage Orzo Soup With Spinach. It's cozy and comforting, just like a big hug from Nonna.
🍽 Serve with
- I love to serve a fresh salad like this Arugula Salad recipe with this hearty meal.
- These easy Homemade Soft Breadsticks are light and fluffy, topped off with melted butter and garlic salt, and pair so well with this meal.
- If you are like me, you can't have a meal without something sweet at the end, and these Brown Butter Snickerdoodle Cookies are the best cookies for the job!
📞 Chiacchierata (chat)
I have to be honest with you, I was a little hesitant to try this recipe at first. Acorn squash? Sausage? Mushrooms? But it turned out so well that now I'm kicking myself for not trying it sooner! The combination of flavors and textures is really something special.
Tutti a tavola è pronto!
What's new? Check out my All Our Way Store on Amazon. We'll be adding more items we love and use or wish we had to make cooking fun and easy.
📝 Recipe Card
If you're looking for an easy, yet delicious and healthy, fall dinner idea, look no further than this baked Italian sausage stuffed acorn squash with mushrooms. The best part is that it only takes about 50 minutes to make! Plus, the stuffing is so good that you'll definitely want to save any leftovers for lunch the next day.
This stuffed squash recipe is so good you'll want to make it throughout the year. You don't have to wait for a special holiday.
If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.
📖 Recipe
Italian Baked Sausage Stuffed Acorn Squash with Mushrooms
Ingredients
- 2 medium acorn squash halved down the middle, seeds removed
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 3 teaspoons olive oil
- olive oil for rubbing the acorn flesh
- 8 ounces Italian bulk sausage if using turkey sausage or Italian link sausage, remove casings
- 1 large leek white and light green parts, halved, washed thoroughly, and sliced
- 2 cups sliced baby bella mushrooms
- 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 4 cups baby spinach washed
- ¼ cup chicken broth
- 4 Tablespoons grated fresh Parmesan divided
- 4 Tablespoons panko breadcrumbs
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter melted
Instructions
- Heat oven to 375 F. Cut a thin slice off round side of each squash half to create a stable base. Rub the flesh with olive oil then sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Place squash flesh side down on a baking sheet lined with foil; bake until golden and tender, 30 minutes. Remove from oven; flip squash and set aside. In a large skillet, over medium heat, cook the sausage breaking into pieces, until brown, 6 minutes; transfer to a bowl. To the same skillet, add the olive oil and leek; cook until leek is soft, 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and continue to cook until they release their moisture and start to brown. Add garlic; cook, 1 minute. Add the spinach and toss; add broth. Cover and cook about 2 minutes; stir in sausage.
- Divide sausage filling among the squash.
- In a bowl, combine the panko crumbs and parmesan cheese. Sprinkle evenly over the squash bowls. Melt the butter and drizzle over the crumbs. Broil until panko topping is golden, about 2 minutes.
- Serve and enjoy.
Notes
- Try using a different type of squash such as butternut squash or kabocha squash.
- Add in some chopped kale or Swiss chard for extra greens.
- Swap out the panko crumbs for regular bread crumbs if you prefer.
- You can use different types of cheese instead like mozzarella or cheddar cheese.
- Try a different type of sausage. There are so many varieties and flavors available that you can make a South of the Border baked sausage stuffed acorn squash one day and an Asian-flavored one another day.
Nutrition
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Grilled Portabella Mushroom alla Caprese
Roasted Zucchini Stuffed with Garlic Breadcrumbs
Stuffed Tomatoes with Zucchini
These vegetables sides are delicious a ideal with any protein.
The way the flavors are adding up, it's almost like our Thanksgiving Italian Stuffing recipe except we don't add the sun-dried tomatoes in oil. Honestly, we don't believe you can ruin this recipe -- add what you like or eliminate what you don't.
Next time we're thinking of making it more Mediterranean style by adding kalamata olives and feta cheese. How do you think that sounds?
