Turkey Sausage-Stuffed Acorn Squash

Name: Turkey Sausage-Stuffed Acorn Squash
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 1 h 20 min
Yield: 8 servings.
Ingredients: 4 medium acorn squash (about 1-1/2 pounds each); 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved; 1 pound Italian turkey sausage links, casings removed; 1/2 pound sliced fresh mushrooms; 1 medium apple, peeled and finely chopped; 1 small onion, finely chopped; 2 teaspoons fennel seed; 2 teaspoons caraway seeds; 1/2 teaspoon dried sage leaves; 3 cups fresh baby spinach; 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 1/8 teaspoon pepper; 8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, chopped; 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

Finding healthy recipes the family will eat is a challenge. This elegant squash is one we love, and it works with pork, turkey and chicken sausage. —Melissa Pelkey Hass, Waleska, Georgia

Ingredients

4 medium acorn squash (about 1-1/2 pounds each)
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 pound Italian turkey sausage links, casings removed
1/2 pound sliced fresh mushrooms
1 medium apple, peeled and finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 teaspoons fennel seed
2 teaspoons caraway seeds
1/2 teaspoon dried sage leaves
3 cups fresh baby spinach
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, chopped
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°. Cut squash lengthwise in half; remove and discard seeds. Using a sharp knife, cut a thin slice from bottom of each half to allow them to lie flat. Place squash in a shallow roasting pan, hollow side down; add 1/4 in. of hot water and halved tomatoes. Bake, uncovered, 45 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook sausage, mushrooms, apple, onion and dried seasonings over medium heat 8-10 minutes or until sausage is no longer pink, breaking up sausage into crumbles; drain. Add spinach, thyme, salt and pepper; cook and stir 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
Carefully remove squash from roasting pan. Drain cooking liquid, reserving tomatoes. Return squash to pan, hollow side up.
Stir cheese, vinegar and reserved tomatoes into sausage mixture. Spoon into squash cavities. Bake 5-10 minutes longer or until heated through and squash is easily pierced with a fork.

Nutrition Facts

1 stuffed squash half: 302 calories, 10g fat (5g saturated fat), 43mg cholesterol, 370mg sodium, 42g carbohydrate (11g sugars, 7g fiber), 15g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 2-1/2 starch, 2 medium-fat meat.

Originally published as Turkey Sausage, Spinach & Mushroom Roasted Acorn Squash in Taste of Home September/October 2014

Reviews

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Average Rating:

Tracy

Sep 20, 2017

Hubby loved it. Kids not so much but only because they were thrown off by serving in the squash bowl.
DonnaG201

Sep 7, 2017

can this be frozen to serve another day?
lovetocook0920

Nov 3, 2014

My whole family (even the kids) really enjoyed this! I didn't change a thing.
keverwann

Oct 12, 2014

This tasted good, but the kids didn't touch it ("ewww, stuffed squash!"). Left out the caraway, thyme, salt, pepper, and vinegar. Subbed in 1 pint diced canned tomatoes, 4oz can of mushrooms, 1/2 pound Italian sausage, shredded kale, and shredded mozzarella. Made the filling and baked the squash halves before church, combined and cooked after church; this worked out nicely.
Lisa Friesen

Oct 12, 2014

I used 1/2 spicy hot sausage and 1/2 hamburger , Monterrey jack cheese and added some canned Bertolli marinara sauce over the filling. I used less mushrooms. Will make again for myself (family not impressed). Very versatile!
jbruner147

Oct 7, 2014

A little bit of extra prep time with this recipe, but it is worth it. Absolutely delicious.
partnersincooking

Sep 28, 2014

This is the most incredible recipe. We try new recipes nearly every week and at this point it is very difficult to make my top 10 list; however; this recipe made it! I have never found another recipe with such an intriguing yet well thought out combination of herbs. You have never had another dish that tastes like this one. It is amazing! Also, we followed the recipe exactly as written. Note: you really do need to add the red wine vinegar. Melissa Birdsong, you are an amazing cook to develop such a unique recipe.
toolbarsco

Sep 20, 2014

This is a perfect meal for fall. lt takes a bit of time to prep but is well worth it. My family loves acorn squash and this is such a healthy recipe--it made me feel good to serve it to them. We are not fans of fennel or caraway so I omitted them, but if you enjoy those flavors I'm sure they add another dimension of tastiness!