Do you think Acorn Squash feels like the forgotten child since it’s big sister Butternut is gets all of the attention? Sure, she’s smaller, but just as beautiful and delicious 😉 So here’s one for Acorn — Sausage Stuffing Stuffed Acorn Squash!

I’m loving this stuffing! It has me brainstorming more excuses throughout the year other than Thanksgiving to add stuffing to my menu 🙂

With Thanksgiving only days away I pose you the age-old question, to stuff or not to stuff your turkey? Back in the day everyone stuffed their turkey and if you think about any quintessential photo of a Thanksgiving dinner the center piece is a perfectly browned turkey overflowing with golden stuffing. However, there are potential issues and hazards with cooking your stuffing inside the turkey.

The 2 main issues are:

1. The stuffing can cause the turkey to cook unevenly since air isn’t able circulate freely around the bird.

2. Since the stuffing is put in the middle of the raw turkey and the middle is the part that will cook the slowest, it is possible that the stuffing will not be cooked through (or reach a temperature of at least 165°F) before the rest of the turkey is done. Presenting the risk of the stuffing being contaminated with salmonella and not safe to eat 🙁

No one wants an overcooked Turkey and no one wants a house full of sick guests, so it is best to make the stuffing on the side! All of the turkey drippings that would have been soaked up by the stuffing can now go in to your gravy so not all is lost!

It is however, totally safe to cook your stuffing in an acorn squash! The squash helps keep the stuffing moist and the stuffing adds additional flavor to the squash – win-win. It also adds extra touch of presentation to your Thanksgiving table 🙂

Sausage Stuffing Stuffed Acorn Squash

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• Author: Chocolate Covered Cheetah

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 4 Acorn Squash
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup carrots, chopped
• 1 cup celery, chopped
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 2 tsp poultry seasoning, divided
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp garlic salt
• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 cups white onions, chopped
• 1 cup chopped granny smith apple
• 1lb ground sausage
• 4 cups stale french bread, cut in small cubes
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries

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Instructions

1. Pre-heat oven to 400°F
2. Slice acorn squash in half
3. Remove seeds and brush the squash with olive oil
4. Place squash on a baking sheet and put them in the oven to bake for 40 minutes
5. Place a large pot on the stove top, add carrots, celery, chicken stock, 1 tsp poultry seasoning, onion powder and garlic salt
6. Bring to a boil over medium high heat
7. Cover, reduce heat to low, simmer for 15-20 minutes
8. Heat butter over medium heat in a sauté pan
9. Add chopped onion and 1 tsp poultry seasoning to pan, sauté 4-5 minutes
10. Add chopped apple, sauté 3-4 more minutes, set aside cooked onions and apples
11. Add ground sausage to pan, brown over medium heat
12. In a large bowl, mix together sautéd onions, apples, browned sausage, bread and dried cranberries
13. Pour chicken stock with carrots and celery over the bread mixture, toss
14. Fill each baked acorn squash overflowing with stuffing
15. Bake 8-10 more minutes until stuffing is browned
16. Serve out of squash

Notes

1. The bread needs to be stale — if your bread is not hard enough, cut it up and then bake it at 350°F for about 15 minutes
2. This stuffing is also delicious on it’s own, it does not have to be cooked in an acorn squash

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