I believe I said that I had 2 very large acorn squash that needed to be stuffed this year.
This is the second.
I don’t normally mix fruit with meat, other than the occasional lemon / caper sauce. But, there is something about the sweet winter squashes that make me think a tart apple might be ‘just the thing’.
Could it be I’m expanding my palate?
And will I ever be able to confidently type ‘palate’ without double-checking the spelling? (palette, palet….)
Maybe… next time.
Click here to Pin Stuffed Acorn Squash with Apples & Sage
PrintStuffed Acorn Squash with Apples & Sausage
This is a savory – sweet stuffing for the acorn squash. We had it with quinoa.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 2 servings 1x
- Category: One Dish Dinners
Ingredients
- 1 medium – large acorn squash
- 6oz (180gr) sausage
- 1 medium leek, trimmed and sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 medium, tart apple, peeled and chopped
- 1/3 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
- 2 tbs fresh sage, chopped
- 2 tbs brown sugar
- 1 tsp paprika
- 2 tbs pumpkin seeds
- 2 tsp olive oil
Instructions
- Cut squash in half and scoop out seeds.
- Place face down on a baking tray and bake in 400F (200C) oven for 25 minutes.
- Heat the oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat.
- Sauté the leeks for 5 minutes then add the garlic, apple and sausage.
- Sauté until sausage starts to brown, breaking it up as fine as possible.
- Add sage, walnuts, brown sugar, stir until sugar melts.
- Cover and keep on very low heat until needed.
- To assemble: When squash are ready (they should be almost done) remove, turn cut-side up, and fill with the stuffing.
- Sprinkle with pumpkin seeds and bake for 10 minute
Notes
You could substitute a small pumpkin or butternut squash for the acorn squash. Most of the prep is done while the squash bakes.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/2 recipe
- Calories: 724
- Sugar: 19.4 g
- Sodium: 678.3 mg
- Fat: 50.4 g
- Saturated Fat: 13 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 54.9 g
- Fiber: 8.2 g
- Protein: 21.4 g
- Cholesterol: 68.4 mg
Keywords: acorn squash, stuffed winter squash
I bought the pumpkin seeds. My local vegetable shop has all the good stuff in small containers.
Did I mention that we had a cold bike ride along the canal last week?
It was foggy early in the morning but had cleared to sunny and warm when we decided to go for our ride. It was a lovely warm day all the way until we got to the canal. The temperature dropped substantially and the canal and bike path were still covered in thick fog.
It was cold…. But only for the first hour.
Still – that was enough to make mon mari re-think our weekly ride.
Rather than go in the morning he decided we should go after lunch.
After his lunch…. Because of my weird allergy we have to go before my lunch.
Fortunately (for him) I eat late.
Rather than drive to the canal we should just ride from home on the local roads.
We left at 2 on this sunny afternoon and the temp was perfect.
Most of the roads we ride on are quiet:
But it’s a much more challenging ride.
On the canal it’s mostly flat with a 10 meter 30 degree hill (bridge) to go up and over every kilometer or so. If one builds up a bit of speed one can almost coast over. Here the hills are not very steep (usually) but very, very long. They’re the kind of hills one wouldn’t even notice walking but they’re very tiring peddling.
I’m going to be getting a better work-out (she says, positively).
One more thing….. weird things have been happening to this blog over the last few days. If you experience anything, please let me know. For a change – it’s not MY fault. I still have to fix it though.
Love your stuffing combo …but I like you don’t like fruit in my savoury dishes…after a childhood of my mother putting sultanas in tuna casserole…ugh ugh ugh !
Sultanas and tuna? No… just no… I can’t even imagine lol
That stuffing looks perfect! (What kind of sausage do you use? Am I correct to assume that it is an uncooked sausage, before you begin?)
I’m going to our farmers’ market this afternoon, hoping that there will be good looking winter squashes galore. J’adore les courges poivrées à cette période de l’année! (Although… I’m hoping for Hubbard, Kabocha, or Buttercup at the market. They’re usually sweeter than acorn squashes.
I’m so envious of your bike rides along the canal – even if the weather is chilly. I”m also VERY envious of your rides when it’s warm and sunny – but because it’s fall, it’s not tooooo warm. Happy riding!
We mainly have 2 kinds of sausage from the butcher here – regular and spicy, The regular comes in fat or skinny. I used regular and squeezed it out of the casings. We also have pre-packaged smoked…. And If I go to a different butcher (English) there are other kinds. Shopping is always an adventure. You really need to try the delicata if you can find them…. We think they are the best, even if they don’t keep long. Today is cold and sunny. We’re still debating the bike ride.
Thank you, Katie. I will keep my eyes open for delicata. Although it may be too late for this year. 🙁
Until just before the 1st COVID-19 lockdown, we got The Best Sausages (as well as terrific ham, smoked bones for soup, real sauerkraut, and real dill pickles) from a local Polish butcher who had taken over the shop from his father. We used to see his father still hanging around, helping, until his death about two and half years ago. Alas, the family decided to sell the shop (I don’t get the impression that they consulted with the son; I also kind of think that they bulldozed the mother into agreeing) and we (waaaahhhhhhhh!!) lost one of the best butchers in the area. We’re still searching for decent sausage….
Real dill pickles….. Sigh. I haven’t had one since I quit making my own, which I did when we moved to this house. I can’t get the soil right for cucumbers and I can’t just buy ‘pickling’ pickles. lol And ham… There is lots and lots of dry cured ham. And regular, ‘formed’ ham for sandwiches, but a ham for roasting is not something the French do.
What a shame about your butcher. I would be very, very sad…. Keep searching.
We are. We are looking. (And we are very sad.)
In the meantime, my husband is making loose sausage (along the same lines of what Michael Ruhlman suggests in his book “From Scratch” – ha! It’s almost as if Ruhlman has been sneaking into our kitchen to see my husband’s technique. 😉 ). But the resulting sausage is just not quite the same as when the meat is encased.
No luck finding delicata. But we have found some beautiful butternuts.