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Turkey Apple Stuffed Acorn Squash

September 9, 2021
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A cozy, spiced turkey, mushroom, and shredded apple filling mixed up with parmesan cheese and stuffed into roasted squash: this Turkey Apple Stuffed Acorn Squash is the best fall meal!!
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A cozy, spiced turkey, mushroom, and shredded apple filling mixed up with parmesan cheese and stuffed into roasted squash: this Turkey Apple Stuffed Acorn Squash is the best fall meal!!

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I’m so excited about fall. While, yes, I love summer and the relaxing quality of life it entails, there’s just something about the crisp smell of crinkling leaves, the coziness of an oversized sweater, and the warm flavors of fall that truly gives me a whole lot of serotonin. Plus, after a long hot drag in August, I’m ready for those cooler mornings. And while we usually have pretty hot Septembers here in Virginia, this past week has felt pretty freaking chilly to me… it’s like September first came and the weather just totally took a 180. All this to say, I’m officially ready to say goodbye to summer flavors. In their place, I’m totally obsessing over all things cinnamon, squash, and apple cider. Hence, to start things off, I whipped up this Turkey Apple Stuffed Acorn Squash recipe. Truly, this one brings in all the good fall flavors. You have to try it!!

the breakdown…

This Turkey Apple Stuffed Acorn Squash recipe is honestly so simple. Start off by simply roasting up the acorn squash. Acorn squash is one of my absolute favorite fall squashes, besides maybe Delicata of course. Pumpkin and butternut are of course pretty good, but they’re definitely over hyped. Acorn squash is a mild, sweet, and nutty squash with a hard green exterior. And, to many people’s surprise, you can actually eat the skin! After slicing them up, pulling out the seeds, and coating them in some salt and pepper, transfer the squash cut side down into the oven. After 30-35 minutes, that green exterior actually becomes a delicious little crisp bite — perfect for acting as a bowl like in this Turkey Apple Stuffed Acorn Squash recipe.

After you get things roasting, go ahead and work on the most exciting part of the dish: the filling. Actually, I like to refer to this filling as the “stuffing,” as it honestly gives all holds good flavors and textures of the classic Thanksgiving dish. Start off with a quick sauté of some sweet onion, then go ahead and toss in that ground Turkey and those mushrooms. Turkey is my meat of choice here. Lean, flavorful, and giving reminiscent flavors of thanksgiving, it’s truly the best. That being said, you could also use ground chicken, sausage, ground pork, or even tempeh or tofu for this recipe. Beef would not be my go-to, but that would also work. 

A cozy, spiced turkey, mushroom, and shredded apple filling mixed up with parmesan cheese and stuffed into roasted squash: this Turkey Apple Stuffed Acorn Squash is the best fall meal!!

substitutions!!

Oh, and, if you’re not a fan of mushrooms, you could leave them out or substitute them for carrots, cauliflower, or eggplant. I like the bulk the vegetable adds to the dish — especially since mushrooms mimic a meat-like consistency. But, hey! You do you!

Once everything gets a good sauté, it’s time to add in all the flavor. First and foremost, stir in some shredded apples. I like to use honey crisp — especially in the fall. Really, though, just use your favorite apple… or whatever looks good. I like to peel my apples, but if you’re going for an easier route, you could also leave the skin on. Either way, you’ve got to shred it up! You could use the thick part of a box grater or even a food processor. Simply chop your apples up into quarters and pulse them a few times and you’re golden! Both ways work very well.

The shredded apples bring in such a great texture, but also tons of sweet, tall flavor. To counterbalance that fruitiness, you’ve also got to stir in some garlic, dried parsley, dried sage, and dried rosemary. While the apples might seem like the outlier in the midst of all of these mushrooms and herbs, the combination of flavors truly compliments each other perfectly.

so juicy…

Once all of that flavor is toasted up and fragrant, pour in some chicken stock. I always love to add some liquid to my ground meat, as I find it gets dry if you don’t. Plus, by cooking down the stock in the Turkey mixture, you’re really locking all of that flavor into everything in almost a sauce-like form. That, with the addition of some Parmesan cheese, gives you the perfect creamy addition to the stuffing. It’s absolutely delicious.

Now that your filling is ready to go, simply stuff your acorn squash halves with all that goodness and send it back to the oven! Depending on the size of the center of your squash, you may want to scoop out some of the flesh to make room for extra stuffing. Either way, stuff those things full and get them all crisped up in the oven… I mean, the crispy part is seriously game changing!!

all about the toppings!!

Now, let’s talk toppings. These squash are a bit difficult to top, but I still like to throw a few extra goodies on there. I love the crunch from some toasted walnuts and the freshness from a mix of fall herbs. Oh, and, definitely don’t skip the ricotta! I like the texture of fresh ricotta on this dish, but you could also do a drizzle of whipped ricotta. Simply throw some ricotta into a food processor and mix until smooth! You could even add yogurt, honey, garlic powder, or salt into the mix, if you’re feeling fancy. Another great topping option is pomegranate molasses, if you rather go with a store bought option!

turkey apple stuffed acorn squash

how to serve it up…

I love to serve this up with some simply dressed greens or massage kale for an easy weeknight dinner. That being said, there’s something about a stuffed vegetable that’s also very classy and impressive, so this could also be a delicious addition to a dinner party or even your Thanksgiving feast. Plus, these are super customizable and can be made with a number of toppings, mix ins, and flavors — so go with what everyone loves!!

I hope you love this Turkey Apple Stuffed Acorn Squash recipe as much as I do! Let me know what you think in the comments below:)

Turkey Apple Stuffed Acorn Squash
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Turkey Apple Stuffed Acorn Squash

Recipe by Annie PatrickCourse: Main CourseCuisine: American, FallDifficulty: Easy
Servings

6

servings
Prep time

15

minutes
Cooking time

50

minutes
Total time

1

hour 

5

minutes

A cozy, spiced turkey, mushroom, and shredded apple filling mixed up with parmesan cheese and stuffed into roasted squash: this Turkey Apple Stuffed Acorn Squash is the best fall meal!!

Ingredients

  • 2 large or 3 small acorn squash, sliced in half lengthwise and seeded

  • Salt and pepper, to taste

  • 1 tbsp olive oil

  • ½ a large sweet onion, diced

  • 1 lb ground Turkey*

  • 8 oz baby Bella mushrooms, diced

  • 2 honey crisp apples, shredded (skin on or peeled)*

  • 4 cloves garlic, minced

  • 1 tsp dried parsley

  • ½ tsp dried Rosemary

  • ½ tsp dried sage

  • red pepper flakes, to taste

  • ½ cup chicken stock

  • ⅓ cup parmesan cheese, grated

  • Toasted walnuts, to garnish

  • Fresh herbs, such as sage, thyme, parsley, or rosemary, to garnish

  • Fresh ricotta, to serve*

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Rub the acorn squash with salt and pepper, and place flesh side down on the baking sheet. Transfer to the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the flesh is fork tender.
  • In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Once hot, toss in the onion and sauté for about 1 minute. Then, toss in the ground Turkey, mushrooms, and sauté for another 3-4 minutes, or until the Turkey is browned and the onions and mushrooms are softened. Stir in the apple, garlic, parsley, rosemary, sage, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes, and cook for another minute.
  • Pour in the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Then, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for about 5 minutes, or until the liquid has mostly cooked down. Stir in the parmesan cheese.
  • Divide the mixture evenly among the squash halves. Scoop out some of the squash to make more room for the filling, as desired. Line the stuffed squash halves back on the baking sheet filling side up. Transfer to the oven once more and cook for another 7-8 minutes, or until the top is golden brown.
  • Garnish with toasted walnuts and fresh herbs, and dollop with a bit of ricotta. Serve warm and enjoy!

Notes

  • I like the texture of fresh ricotta for this dish, but you could also go with whipped ricotta. Simply throw some ricotta into a food processor and mix until smooth! You could even add yogurt, honey, garlic powder, or salt into the mix, if you’re feeling fancy. Another great topping option is pomegranate molasses, if you rather go with a store bought option!
  • You could also use ground chicken, sausage, pork, tempeh, or tofu in this recipe. As for the Turkey, I use 93% fat usually.
  • I like to use honey crisp apples, but you can really use any variety. To shred it up, I like to peel the skin off my apples then shred them with a box grater. You could also leave the skin on, quarter the apples, then pulse them in a food processor if you’re looking for an easier route.
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