Italian Baked Sausage Stuffed Acorn Squash with Mushrooms

5 from 26 votes

Italian Baked Sausage Stuffed Acorn Squash with Mushrooms

Baked Acorn Squash is filled with tasty Italian sausage, herbs, garlic, onion, spinach, mushrooms, and finished with a crunchy buttery parmesan breadcrumb topping.

Prep Time15

Cook Time35

Total Time50

Course: light lunch, side, vegetable

Cuisine: American

Servings: people

Calories: 451kcal

Author: Marisa Franca @ All Our Way

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