Acorn squash used to be my favorite fall squash (until I discovered delicata squash this year!). It’s sweet-ish, so it works well with either spicy or savory dishes.
I think acorn squash looks super cute when it’s filled and used as its serving dish. Don’t you agree? This is a great, easy recipe to serve for dinner guests. This is also one of the first recipes I made when I started cooking in my first apartment, and I still love how easy it is. The squash takes a bit of time to cook, which is the longest part of the recipe, but the rest of the steps come together quickly.
While I highlight a spicy Southwestern-inspired filling in this recipe, you can play around with the filling and the flavors to make it your own: switch out the sausage for ground beef or turkey, or make it vegetarian; add corn, remove the bell pepper, change up the amounts of the spices. Go try it out in your kitchen, and have fun! New year, new recipes!
Spicy Stuffed Acorn Squash
Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients
- 3 acorn squash
- 2 Andouille sausages (try the Trader Joe’s variety, which comes in a 4-pack)
- 1 onion
- 1/2 bell pepper, red or orange
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 2 cups chopped cherry or grape tomatoes
- 1 15-oz can of beans (black, pinto, pink, or kidney)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400*F.
- Cut the acorn squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Save if you want to make seeds (like pumpkin seeds), or discard them.
- Place the squash cut-side down on a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray.
- Bake for ~40 minutes, until tender when pierced with a knife.
- Meanwhile, dice the onion and bell pepper. Sauté over medium heat, until the onion is translucent, ~8-10 minutes.
- Dice the sausage, and add it to the pan with the onions and pepper. Cook for 4-5 minutes.
- Add the minced garlic and spices to the pan. Cook for ~1 minute.
- Then add in the chopped tomatoes and beans and cook for another 5-8 minutes, until the tomatoes have broken down.
- Remove the acorn squash halves from the oven, and fill them with the tomato-sausage-bean mixture. Top with shredded cheese.
- Lower the oven temperature to 325*F and cook filled squash for 8-10 minutes, until the cheese is melted.
- Enjoy!
