Hot Italian Sausage and Apple Stuffed Squash is perfect for a Thanksgiving side dish. Cozy and hearty enough for a stand-alone meal too.
Sausage stuffed squash boats with apples and chickpeas are protein-packed and presentation perfect. You will also love this fall harvest salad recipe.
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 on the top of our list.
This roasted acorn squash is stuffed to the max. The celebration of fall is so delicious.
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.
The weather is getting colder, in fact, some areas of Canada have had snow. PLEASE by all means, if that happens to be you, keep it! For me, all I want to see are a few snowflakes on Christmas day, then back to spring temperatures. What a Canadian right? LOL, I am a fair-weathered girl and proud of it!
RECIPE and INSTRUCTIONS for this savoury stuffed acorn squash can be found at the bottom of this post.
Since I don’t want to move to a warmer climate, getting through the winter months with bowls of comfort food goodness makes things a whole lot easier. Soups, chilis, stews, anything served in a bowl works for me. Helps me warm my hands up. Hot mugs of tea, coffee, lattes and hot chocolate work too.
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 miuntes. 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.
Who can resist sausage and apple stuffing during the holidays? The perfect way to fill a roasted acorn squash.
Speaking of the holidays, leftover turkey is just what you need for this delicious turkey wrap. Perfect for lunch or dinner.
You Will Need:
- Acorn squash
- sausage meat
- canned chickpeas
- apples
- carrots
- *(affiliate) 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. In fact, I have LOTS of my own.
- 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.
Still want MORE pumpkin ideas? 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.
Preparing 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).
For this recipe, I used acorn squash. You can choose other varieties as well.
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 the squash is baking, prepare the filling in a pan on the stovetop.
I removed the casing from the sausage meat before cooking. You may be able to find bulk sausage meat in at the butcher or grocery store.
For this recipe I used hot Italian sausage. Feel free to use whatever flavour you like.
Once the squash is baked, remove from oven and place on serving plates. Stuff the baked squash halves with the filling. ENJOY!
When it comes to fall and winter, there are endless recipes to incorporate the 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.
Dinner is served. Did I mention you can have this on the table in about 30-40 minutes? Yup, you can.
Be sure to give it a try. Mix and match your fillings. Make it vegan if you like. Try it with butternut squash, or pepper squash. So many ways to enjoy this fun and tasty stuffed squash recipe.
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.
Looking for a few more Thanksgiving side dishes? Here are a few:
- Cheesy Roasted Cauliflower
- Roasted Autumn Vegetables
- Beet and Quinoa Salad
- Grilled Hakurei Turnips and Radishes
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Hot Italian Sausage and Apple Stuffed Squash
Ingredients
- 3 acorn squash
- 1 pound sausage meat (your choice)
- 19 ounces chickpeas (1 can)
- 3 cups apples (peeled and diced)
- ½ cup onion (diced)
- 1 cup carrots (grated)
- 2 teaspoons maple balsamic vinegar
- salt & pepper (to taste)
Instructions
To Bake the Squash:
- Preheat oven to 400º F and line a baking sheet with parchment or foil.
- Cut squash in ½ lengthwise, and scoop out the insides.
- Place cut side down, and bake until done (approx. 30 minutes). Prepare filling while squash is baking.
To Make the Filling:
- Remove casing from sausage and cut into small pieces (you can even use a potato masher after you cut it up).
- Heat a non-stick frying pan to medium-high, add the meat and cook (for about 15 minutes).
- While this is cooking, peel and dice the apple, dice the onion, grate the carrot and rinse and drain the chickpeas.
- Once the meat is cooked, remove the pan from the heat. Place the meat into a bowl (discarding the excess fat).
- Place the pan back on medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 5-7 minutes.
- Add the meat and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add the apples and cook for 5 minutes.
- Add the carrots and chickpeas and cook for 2 minutes.
- Season with salt and pepper, and the maple balsamic. Mix well, remove from heat.
- Remove squash from oven. Place on individual serving plates and season with salt and pepper.
- Stuff each ½ with the sausage and apple mixture.
- ENJOY!!
Karyl Henry
This looks like such a delicious and hearty Fall recipe. I love that you add chickpeas to the filling. And I’m such a big fan of the flavor and heat of hot Italian sausage.
Gloria | Homemade & Yummy
This is one of our family favourites. In fact, I need to make it again soon.
Paula Montenegro
What a great stuffing recipe and I love how you served it! And how unique with chickpeas. I can’t wait to give this a try soon!
Gloria | Homemade & Yummy
We really do love this as a stand-alone meal.
Denise
What a perfect meal for autumn. Comforting and spicy, my family is going to love this.
Gloria | Homemade & Yummy
I agree, this screams FALL….and such a fun and tasty meal.
Jenny
I am all about comfort food, especially now. Your sausage and apple stuffed squash is a great recipe, beautiful food that I can’t wait to make. Thank you for sharing it.
Gloria | Homemade & Yummy
Seriously I need to make this again….since I posted the recipe hubby has asked “when are you going to make this again”?
Ramona
This dish just makes me drool just by looking at it! this would be perfect for fall and especially a family dinner. I would love to make thsi delicious dish for dinner tonight, i cant wait. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Gloria | Homemade & Yummy
I am super excited to make this soon….we love this recipe.
Sharon
This is a wonderful fall comfort food dish. I love the hot Italian sausage added to the filling.
Gloria | Homemade & Yummy
This really is a tasty and pretty looking dish. ENJOY!
Anjali
This is the perfect recipe for fall!! I loved how hearty and flavorful the filling was when we made it!
Gloria | Homemade & Yummy
I could actually eat this filling by the spoonful. This is one tasty dish. Hope you give it a try.
Relle
Such a great pairing. Sounds like an amazing dish. Can’t wait to try it.
Gloria | Homemade & Yummy
We really love this dish, especially this time of year.
Anita
Wow! This is such a nice way to enjoy squashes. It’s so easy to prepare and the presentation is top notch. My hubby commented that it’s like eating out in a fancy restaurant. 🙂
Gloria | Homemade & Yummy
HAHAHA….you gotta love when you can impress with such easy to make recipes that are so darn delicous.
Angela
Love this recipe! Perfect for the fall time. And it’s hearty enough to be a complete meal. YUM!
Gloria | Homemade & Yummy
We love this as a complete meal. Hope you give it a try.
Andrea Metlika
I just learned a lot about squash. These are fantastic flavors in this acorn squash. Sounds yummy!
Gloria | Homemade & Yummy
Glad you found the post informative. This is one easy and delicious recipe to enjoy squash with.
Michael Crosby
Absolutely delicious. I used sweet instead of hot Italian sausage and substituted 1 t maple syrup and 1 t balsamic vinegar for the 2 t maple balsamic vinegar called for in the recipe. This recipe is simpler to make than similar recipes out there.
Gloria | Homemade & Yummy
I am SOOOO glad you popped back to let me know. I REALLY appreciate it. We really enjoy this. I will share your comment with my readers.
Jo
Squash and apples…can’t think of a fall food better than this. The flavors sound so amazing. And that stuffed squash….wow!
Gloria | Homemade & Yummy
I agree. I need to make this again, we love it.
Daniela
Loving the sausage, apple & squash combo! Such deliciously perfect flavors for this fall season… YUM :).
Gloria | Homemade & Yummy
Hearty and delicious for sure. Hope you give it a try.
Debbie
First off , I love that the squash is the bowl . This Italian sausage and apple stuffed squash sounds like the perfect fall dish. Italian sausage and apples are one of those surprising delicious flavor combinations . It sounds like a yummy dish but I am the most excited about trying your Maple Balsamic , this sounds like a cooking must for fall dishes.
Gloria | Homemade & Yummy
OMG the balsamic is so good. I have lots of flavours and use them all the time.