Sausage & Chestnut Stuffed Acorn Squash
Stuffed squash is such a quintessential fall meal. I found these cute white acorn squash at the grocery store and was inspired to make a delicious meal out of them. Sausage always adds such a depth of flavor to squash. I sauteed the sausage with onions, garlic and fresh spinach. Then mixed it up with Parmesan cheese and chestnuts.
Oh chestnuts, how I love thee let me count the ways. I actually had never had chestnuts until a few years ago. I made a pureed chestnut soup and after buying them I was addicted. They are absolutely delicious. I love snacking on them straight out of the bag, or using them to top salads. And yes they are in your grocery store, in a foil ziploc bag. Or you can always grab them from Amazon. You can always make this without the chestnuts, the sausage is central to the recipe but I urge you to try them. They really add a great depth of flavor.
If acorn squash aren’t your thing, this stuffing is worth making and putting on something else. It would be great with roasted chopped butternut squash, on top of spaghetti squash, or stuffed in a huge portobello mushroom top.
My friend over on Instagram Carolyn from the @thedinnershift (you should follow her she has great weeknight hacks and tips) has an amazing idea of precooking your squash in the slow cooker on low for 8 hours or while you’re at work. Then you simply make the stuffing and stuff the squash and bake for 15 minutes. Roasting the squash doesn’t take too long but this is a great idea for making it even easier on a busy weeknight.
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Sausage & Chestnut Stuffed Acorn Squash
Ingredients
- 2 acorn squash cut in half and seeds removed
- olive oil
- kosher salt
- black pepper
- 8 oz fresh spinach
- 1 lb ground sausage mild italian
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 onion diced
- 1/3 c panko
- 1/4 C grated parmesan
- 1/4 C chestnuts (roughly chopped)
For the Topping:
- 2 tbsp panko breadcrumbs
- 1 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
- 3 chestnuts roughly chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Drizzle each cut side of squash with a little olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Place cut squash halves on parchment lined baking sheet. Place in the oven and bake until soft. About 45 minutes. Then pull out of oven to stuff.
- Meanwhile heat 1 tbsp olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Once hot and shimmering add in the onion and cook until soft about five minutes.
- Add in the garlic and cook for thirty seconds, then add in the sausage. Cook until the sausage is no longer pink and cooked through. Then toss in spinach and cook until wilted.
- Transfer sausage mixture to a bowl and allow to cool slightly.
- Add in 1/3 C panko, 1/4 C chestnuts, and 1/4 C parmesan, 1/2 tsp kosher salt and 1/4 tsp pepper.
- Stuff the stuffing into the squash halves. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes.
- Mix up 2 tbsp panko, 1 tbsp parmesan, and 3 roughly chopped chestnuts together in a small bowl.
- During the last five minutes top each mound of stuffing with the panko topping and drizzle with a little more olive oil. Bake for the last five minutes.
This looks so scrumptious! Can hardly wait to try it…pinned!
Awesome! Thanks Susan!