Sausage and Apple Stuffed Squash

Sausage and Apple Stuffed Squash is perfect for a Thanksgiving side dish. Cozy and hearty enough for a stand-alone meal too.

Sausage stuffed acorn squash boats with apples and chickpeas are protein-packed and presentation perfect. You will also love this fall harvest salad recipe.

A fall-inspired stuffed squash recipe with the perfect blend of sweet and savoury ingredients. Perfect for cozy dinners and holiday gatherings.

As you may have guessed, I am a fall food lover. Don’t get me wrong, I love the warm summer weather and all the grilled foods. When it comes to cold weather, comfort food rocks. Stuffed squash is at the top of our list. 

Looking for a company-worthy side dish for Thanksgiving or Christmas? Roasted Squash Slices only require 4 ingredients. Great for beginner and novice chefs. Presentation perfect.

Recipes like Slow Cooker Spicy Kale Soup are just the thing. Perfect for warming up with. Homemade soup is so good. Easy Chana Masala is made in under 30 minutes. Faster than pizza delivery.

Apple season is delicious. We enjoy ALL the wonderful recipes, and especially the aromas they create while baking and cooking.

Check out this great post 19 Delicious Ways To Use Apples. You will want to go apple picking for sure. Baked apple pudding is a family favourite.

Speaking of the holidays, leftover turkey is just what you need for this delicious turkey wrap. Perfect for lunch or dinner.

Stuffed Squash Ingredients

• acorn squash
• sausage meat
• canned chickpeas
• apples
• carrots
• maple balsamic
• salt and pepper

Pumpkin season is my favourite of all. The weird thing is that my mom hardly ever cooked winter squash recipes. Yes, we had pumpkin pie, but honestly, that was about it. There are so many delicious and easy squash recipes.

• Chorizo Chili with Roasted Tomatoes and Squash is a hearty and delicious meal perfect for comfort food season.
• Puy Lentil Pasta Sauce is a great pasta topping. Try it on spaghetti squash too.
• Easy Roasted  Pumpkin Soup is made in the blender. It tastes like you cooked it all day long.
• Baked Pumpkin Spice Donuts are the perfect celebration of fall. Baked donuts are THE BEST.
• Pumpkin Latte is a MUST. I could drink this all year long.
• Check out this post: 30+ Pumpkin Dishes

If you are looking for a delicious Fall dessert, look no further than Fried Apple Tarts. The perfect Thanksgiving treat. Old fashioned fried apples make the perfect filling. Just like eating mini apple pies.

Easy Sausage and Apple Stuffed Squash

This stuffed squash recipe is easy to prepare. There are two parts, baking the squash and making the filling (or stuffing). Full instructions are in the recipe card.

Step One: Cut the squash in half, scoop out the seeds (you can save the seeds to roast later) and bake the squash in the oven for about 30 minutes.

Be sure to line your baking sheet with a *(affiliate) silicone mat or parchment paper for easier cleanup. 

Step Two: While baking the squash, prepare the filling in a pan on the stovetop.

Once the squash is baked, remove it from the oven and place on serving plates. Stuff the baked squash halves with the filling and enjoy

Suggestions / Recipe Tips

There are lots of great varieties of squash. I have some listed below. I used acorn squash, but feel free to try others. They are all delicious.

We love spicy food, so hot Italian sausage was my choice. Any kind will work. Turkey sausage would be a great choice. I like to remove the casing before cooking. You can also find bulk sausage meat in the grocery store or your local butcher shop.

Looking to make it vegan? No problem, this recipe also includes chickpeas. You could always add some cooked red lentils to replace the meat.

Maple balsamic is so flavourful. You can use regular balsamic mixed with a little maple syrup.

Any variety of apple will work in this recipe. Some of my favourites are Cortland and Honey Crisp.

Store leftovers either wrapped in foil or a sealed container in the fridge for 3-2 days. Reheat in the oven.

It is ok to eat the skin of acorn squash since it is quite delicate once it is cooked.

Winter Squash Varieties

Did you know there are 11 varieties of winter squash? I will be on the lookout at the markets this fall to find ALL of them. How many of these have you tried?

Acorn Squash (like in this recipe). Small in size weighing between one and two pounds. It has an orange-yellow flesh and thick, dark green and orange skin. Mild sweet nutty flavour. Very versatile and can be cooked many ways

Banana Squash: Large, elongated squash, two to three feet in length. It can weigh up to 40 pounds. It has smooth orange, pink, or blue skin and brilliant orange flesh. Rich sweet and earthy. Perfect for roasting, soups and stews.

Buttercup Squash: Squat and round dark green rind that has green-gray lines with firm orange flesh. Sweet and creamy, great for baking, steaming and using in curries.

Butternut Squash: Pear-shaped squash has a smooth with a cream-colored exterior and bright orange flesh.  The sweetest of all the winter squash. Great for just about everything.

Delicata Squash: Known as sweet potato squash, it is a small cylindrical squash with thin cream-colored skin and green stripes, and orange-yellow flesh. Similar to the taste of sweet potatoes. Makes a great stuffed squash.

Hubbard Squash: One of the largest varieties of winter squash with a hard, firm exterior that can range in color from deep green to gray or blue. Similar to the taste of pumpkin. Great for pumpkin pies.

Kabocha Squash: Squat and round, and similar to buttercup squash. Dull finish with dark green skin (sometimes has small lumps) and bright yellow-orange flesh. Sweet and nutty, and can be used from soups to pies.

Pumpkin: We all know this famous variety. No explanation needed.

Spaghetti Squash: Cylindrical shape with a firm exterior that ranges in color from pale cream to bright yellow. When cooked the flesh develops strands that resemble spaghetti. Chewy and very mild. Roasting is best.

Sweet Dumpling Squash: Small yellow squash, with bright orange to dark green markings. Sweet taste that is similar to corn. Great for stuffing and roasting.

Turban Squash: Large and decorative squash with an irregular turban shape. Dull-looking, bumpy exterior in colours from mottled green to orange and yellow. Mild and nutty. Mostly used as decoration (makes a great soup tureen), but can be used like other varieties. 

When it comes to fall and winter, there are endless recipes to incorporate seasonal squash varieties. This stuffed acorn squash with sausage is simple to make. The presentation is pretty cool too. You can feed a family of 6 with this budget-friendly recipe.