Description
Hearty sausage stuffed acorn squash delivers robust autumn flavors with Italian sausage, herbs, and parmesan. Quick preparation makes this dish perfect for cozy weeknight dinners you’ll savor from first bite to last.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 acorn squash (medium)
- 10 oz (280 g) spicy Italian sausage, crumbled
- 4 oz (115 g) fresh spinach
- 1 small onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- ½ cup pecans, chopped
- 3 tbsps olive oil
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
- ¼ tsp salt (or more to taste)
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat Preparation: Heat oven to 400°F, creating an optimal roasting environment for acorn squash.
- Squash Preparation: Trim squash top and bottom, halve lengthwise, and meticulously remove seeds to form clean cooking vessels.
- Initial Roasting: Coat squash interior with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, then place face-down on baking sheet. Roast for 30 minutes until exterior caramelizes and flesh becomes tender.
- Filling Development: In a skillet, sauté onions until translucent, then introduce sausage, garlic, and Italian seasoning. Cook thoroughly while stirring to ensure even flavor distribution.
- Ingredient Integration: Incorporate spinach, allowing it to wilt, then fold in dried cranberries and pecans to create a complex, textured filling with complementary flavor profiles.
- Final Assembly: Remove squash from oven, turn halves upright, and generously fill with prepared sausage mixture. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F.
- Finishing Touch: Return stuffed squash to oven and bake for 10-20 minutes, allowing flavors to meld and filling to heat completely, creating a harmonious culinary experience.
Notes
- Stabilize Squash Carefully: Trimming the top and bottom prevents wobbling and ensures even roasting, creating a stable cooking surface.
- Maximize Flavor Absorption: Massaging olive oil and seasoning directly onto squash helps develop deeper caramelization and enhances overall taste profile.
- Control Moisture Levels: Roasting face-down initially helps concentrate natural squash sugars and prevents excessive liquid accumulation during cooking.
- Balance Texture and Taste: Adding dried cranberries and pecans introduces unexpected sweet and crunchy elements that elevate the sausage filling’s richness.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Lunch, Dinner, Appetizer
- Method: Roasting
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 5
- Calories: 380
- Sugar: 10 g
- Sodium: 520 mg
- Fat: 25 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 18 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 30 g
- Fiber: 7 g
- Protein: 12 g
- Cholesterol: 45 mg