Stuffed Acorn Squash With Wild Rice and Italian Sausage
Acorn squash stuffed with alllll the fall goodness. How many different squash varieties are you seeing in the store now? I am finding so many new ones to try. Acorn is one of my go-to squash, though. It is perfectly nutty and perfectly shaped. Especially for stuffing! The skin isn't as thick as butternut, so chopping never feels like quite as big of a pain.
I had some remaining rainbow chard in my garden, and I thought that would be perfect in this filling. Feel free to use whatever greens you love the most! You can prep the filling a day ahead and make assembly a cinch if you are short on time.
Make sure to get a bite of tender acorn squash with every bite!
Prepping all the chopped ingredients. I like to keep them all in one bowl, and slide out what I need since there are different cook times for each.
Top with cheese or omit for dairy-free dinner.
The cheese is melting and look at that nice browning!
Stuffed Acorn Squash With Wild Rice and Italian Sausage
Recipe details
Ingredients
Stuffed Acorn Squash
- 2/3 C uncooked wild rice
- 1 tsp EVOO, divided
- 4 1 lb acorn squashes, cut in half lengthwise and seeded
- 1/2 lb ground Italian sausage
- 1 tsp salt, divided
- 1 C chopped onion
- 1/2 C chopped celery
- 3-4 oz fresh shiitake mushrooms, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
- 1 bunch, about 6 oz rainbow Swiss chard, chopped
- 2 Tbsp flat leaf parsley, chopped
- 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- salt pepper to taste
- shredded parmesan to top (amount to taste)
Instructions
Stuffed Acorn Squash
- Cook wild rice according to package instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 F
- Cut and seed acorn squash, brush 1/2 tsp EVOO over cut sides. Salt. Place cut size down on parchment baking sheet
- Bake at 425 for 20 minutes until almost fully tender
- Heat remaining 1/2 tsp oil in large skillet and brown the crumbled sausage. Add onions and celery and cook 5 minutes
- Add mushrooms, cook 4 minutes
- Add garlic and thyme, cook 1 minute
- Add torn Swiss chard leaves and stir in until wilted
- Remove from heat and stir in cooked rice, remaining salt to taste, chopped parsley, lemon juice, and pepper
- Spoon 1/3-1/2 C of mixture into squash cavity. Bake at 425 for 10-15 minutes until they are lightly browned
- Top with shredded cheese right out of the oven, if you desire
Tips
- Feel free to use whatever greens you have on hand if not rainbow chard (mustard, kale, spinach, etc).
- These freeze well and also are great to assemble ahead of time and bake when you're ready.
- You can use brown rice if you prefer.
- Try a different squash, I think delicata would also be a nice, softer variety for this dish.
- You can omit the meat and make this vegetarian! Or, try ground turkey or chicken instead.
Comments
Share your thoughts, or ask a question!
Just tried them on my family. We are huge sweet potato lovers. Best tasting recipe hands down.