Stuffed Acorn Squash (Farro, Sausage, & Apples)

At a glance

What stands out: This stuffed acorn squash recipe filled with farro, sausage, tender apples, dried cherries, and melty cheddar is a rich mix of sweet and savory. Stuffed acorn squash is a flavorful fall side dish or light meal.

How long it takes: 1 hour, 15 minutes (but much of that time is hands-off)
Equipment you’ll need: skillet, baking pan
Servings: 6

A standby Stuffed Acorn Squash

This recipe for stuffed acorn squash is reliable to make in the fall, when the markets are overflowing with all types of squash and orchard-fresh apples. Every bite of this stuffed acorn squash is filled with hearty ancient grains, savory sausage, sweet apples and dried cherries, with lots of melty cheese. Stuffed squash has all the things we love about a recipe!

Festive. Celebrate fall with stuffed acorn squash. The individual stuffed squash look impressive, combining all kinds of tasty foods into one smashingly good dish. It looks fancy and special, but it’s simple to make.

Full of flavor. There’s something about the combination of sausage and apple, sweet dried cherries, a little bit of sage, and flavorful cheddar, all in a cozy little package. Stuffed squash is pure comfort food that is nourishing and nutritious.

(Deceptively) straightforward to mix. A standby part is that this stuffed acorn squash is filling, hearty, soul-warming, and SO EASY! The ingredients are speedy to prep ahead and stuffed squash is reliable to serve as a holiday side dish or light meal.

What goes in

We'll give you lots of cooking tips and ways to make this stuffed acorn squash your own.

• Acorn Squash – You’ll find acorn squash in the produce aisle or at your local market alongside other squash varieties (keep reading for ideas). When baked, the skin makes a reliable bowl for the filling and the flesh has a sweet, nutty flavor.
• Turkey Sausage – we like to use bulk uncooked sausage that isn’t in links. Otherwise, use linked raw sausages and simply squeeze the sausage out of the casing before cooking. Pork sausage or Italian sausage is a good substitute for turkey sausage.
• Onion and Celery – These two vegetables add flavor and nutrition.
• Apple – Apple complements the fall flavors in this recipe and provides a bit of sweetness. Any type of apple will work but we like to use apples that hold their shape when cooked such as Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, or Cortland.
• Dried Cherries (or Cranberries) – Other good options are raisins or dried apricots. Use what you happen to have in the house or what you like best.
• Farro – This ancient whole grain has a hearty, nutty flavor. It’s nutritious. Farro is part of the wheat family, similar to spelt, einkorn, or emmer. It’s rich in everything from salad to stuffing! You can also substitute quinoa, bulgur, rice, or couscous if you happen to have some ready to go.
• Sharp Cheddar Cheese – Any type of cheese can be used but sharp cheddar goes deliciously with the other flavors.
• Dried Sage Leaves and Garlic Powder – Straightforward pantry items but if you would rather use fresh sage leaves and garlic cloves, even better!

Are Butternut Squash and Acorn Squash the Same?

Nope! Butternut squash and acorn squash are both winter squashes, but they aren’t the same. Acorn squash is dark green and rounder, with distinct ridges on the outside. Butternut squash is long with tan-colored skin. If you’re after a rich butternut squash recipe, try this stuffed butternut squash with quinoa, bacon, and kale.

How it comes together

The beauty of stuffed acorn squash is that it looks like you went the extra mile in stuffing and roasting, but it’s straightforward to prepare.

Prep the squash. Cut the acorn squash in half and scrape out the seeds and stringy pulp. See our in-depth tutorial on how to cook acorn squash for helpful tips and tricks when preparing acorn squash. You won’t be peeling the squash for this recipe (but the skin is soft and edible once it’s been cooked).

Roast. Rub a little olive oil over the flesh of the squash and season with salt and pepper. Bake the squash cut sides down at 400ºF for about 45 minutes, or until they are tender.

Cook the farro. Next, get your farro cooking according to the package directions. Farro usually takes 30 to 40 minutes to cook, depending on what variety you use.

Prepare the filling. Meanwhile, as the squash bakes, brown the sausage and vegetables in a large skillet. Add the apples and the rest of the ingredients, apart from the cheese for now. Stir and cook until everything is warmed through and the apples are softened. Lastly, take the pan off the heat and stir in the cheese.

Fill the squash halves. Once the acorn squash has finished baking, all that’s left to do is stuff them. Fill each squash half as full as you can!

Melt the cheese. Top each stuffed squash with a sprinkle of shredded cheddar. Return them to the oven for 10 minutes or so, enough to heat through and melt the cheese.

Serve! Serve your stuffed acorn squash right away with your choice of main dish, or enjoy it as is with a fresh side salad.

Prepare the Farro Ahead

Grains such as rice, quinoa, and farro freeze well after they’re cooked. When cooking a grain, cook the entire bag and freeze it in labeled bags with 1, 2, or 3 cup portions. It thaws quickly in the fridge or on the counter and makes lighter eating even easier!

Tips for Success

Clean the squash. Begin by scrubbing the squash well. They can be pretty muddy especially if you bought them at a farm stand.

Stabilize the squash halves. After slicing the squash in half, we like to trim a small slice from the bottom of each half to create a flat surface for the squash to rest on. Otherwise, they tend to roll over, spilling out the stuffing.

Straightforward Recipe Variations

Stuffed acorn squash is versatile; stuff the squash with whatever you like. You can easily customize a stuffed squash for each person, depending on their preferences.

• Vegetarian: Omit the sausage. Use a vegetarian meat substitute, substitute chickpeas, or add sautéed finely chopped mushrooms to make vegetarian stuffed squash.
• Vegan: Follow the same suggestions as above, and omit the cheese or add a cheese substitute.
• Paleo: Leave out the farro. To make it Whole30, omit the farro and cheese. Try adding chopped walnuts, pecans, or mushrooms.
• Gluten-free: Substitute quinoa or brown rice for the farro.
• Dairy-free: Simply omit the cheese. There’s plenty of flavor without it!
• Add nuts. Walnuts or pecans are a nice addition to this stuffed squash, and they add a bit of crunch.

Ways to serve it

For a main course, this flavorful stuffed acorn squash pairs well with a crisp green salad, like this arugula salad with a lemony vinaigrette. It’s also a festive holiday side dish to serve next to roast turkey and stuffing (with from-scratch cranberry sauce, of course!).

If you want to carry on the fall theme, wash down the meal with a festive apple cider mule or a refreshing apple cider mocktail. And if you have room for dessert, try this apple crisp or pumpkin streusel bread.

Make-Ahead

As mentioned above, cook grains such as farro, quinoa, and brown rice ahead of time and store them in the fridge or freezer. It’s handy and saves a lot of time.

To get a head start on your stuffed acorn squash, bake the squash and prep the stuffing up to 1 day in advance. When ready to bake, stuff the squash and bake as directed. You may need to add an extra 10 minutes of baking time if the ingredients are cold from the fridge.

Keeping leftovers

Refrigerate. Leftover stuffed acorn squash can be stored in a tightly covered container and refrigerated for up to 3 days.

Freeze. The stuffed squash can be frozen for up to one month. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator for best results.

Reheat. Warm individual squash halves in the microwave in 30-second increments or heat in the oven at 350°F until heated through.

Free Meal Plan

Interested in a weekly meal plan that includes this recipe? Take a look at our Meal Plan #36. You’ll find a wholesome recipe for each weekday plus a categorized grocery list. Let us do the planning for you this week!

Browse Meal Plans

• Yield: 6
• Prep: 15 minutes
• Cook: 1 hour
• Total: 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 3 acorn squash, scrubbed clean
• 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus 1 teaspoon
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 pound bulk turkey sausage
• 1 small onion, diced small (about ½ cup)
• 2 stalks celery, diced small (about ¾ cup)
• 2 cups cooked farro (see note)
• 1 apple, chopped
• ½ cup dried cherries (dried cranberries or raisins are good, too)
• ¼ teaspoon dried rubbed sage
• ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese, extra for topping if desired (can substitute a different kind of cheese if you want)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper.
2. Carefully trim a tiny bit off the top and bottom of each squash to create a flat surface. Then cut each squash in half. Scrape out seeds and stringy bits. Rub inside and cut edges of squash with olive oil. Sprinkle inside of squash with salt and pepper. Place cavity side down on prepared baking sheets. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until fork tender.
3. While the squash roasts, heat one teaspoon of olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. When the oil is shimmering and hot, add the sausage, onion, and celery and cook until sausage is cooked through, breaking the sausage up into crumbles as it cooks.
4. Add cooked farro, apples, cherries, sage, and garlic powder to the skillet. Cook until the apple softens and the rest of the mixture is heated through.
5. Turn off heat and stir in cheese.
6. When squash is tender, remove from oven and carefully flip each half over. Fill with sausage mixture and if desired, sprinkle with additional cheese. Return to oven for 10 minutes until heated through and cheese is melted.
7. Serve immediately.

Notes

Substitutes for farro: Other cooked grains may be swapped in for the farro, such as rice, quinoa, bulgur, or barley.

Squash notes: The stuffing works well in other types of winter squash such as butternut, buttercup, kabocha, delicata, etc.

Make ahead: Bake the squash and prep the stuffing up to one day in advance. When ready to bake, stuff squash and bake as directed, adding an extra 10 minutes baking time since all the ingredients are cold.