This yummy stuffed acorn squash is the perfect show-stopping side dish for your Thanksgiving meal. It’s easy to make and all your guests will love it!
I don’t know about you, but winter squash used to intimidate me. I would warily eye it from across the grocery store and wonder if it was to eat or only to be used as holiday table decor. You see, I didn’t grow up eating winter squash and, to be honest, it has only been within recent years that I even knew what a winter squash was.
Like many of you, I didn’t realize that pumpkins, butternut, spaghetti, and acorn squashes are all considered winter squash. And lo and behold, they can be transformed into the most delicious recipes!
You will find the key to cooking winter squash is patience. Patience peeling (if needed), patience scooping out the seeds, and patience with the longer than normal cooking time. With that said, your patience will not be in vain once you taste your delicious and simple recipes.
This particular acorn squash creation graces our table each Thanksgiving as well as a few other times throughout the year. The filling made of fresh apples, soft pecans, and tart dried cranberries drizzled with sweet maple syrup bake just long enough for the flavors to infuse the squash and produce the most delicious and filling side dish.
As you can see, gone are the days of my winter squash intimidation. My hope is that after trying this simple recipe yourself you will feel the same way too!
Step 1: Preheat oven to 400F. Cut each acorn squash in half and remove the seeds and stringy bits with a spoon.
Step 2: If the squash does not sit flat, use a large knife to cut the outer skin little by little to create a flat surface on the underside of the rounded squash. Try not to cut to deep as a whole in the bottom would allow all the sweet juices from the filling to leak out.
Step 3: Place each flat bottomed squash half (orange flesh side up) on a piece of parchment paper or aluminum foil lined baking sheet.
Step 4: Next, stir together the filling of diced apples, chopped pecans, dried cranberries, coconut sugar, salt and cinnamon in a medium sized bowl.
Step 5: Then divide the filling between the four squash halves until each squash is heaping full.
Step 6: Top each stuffed squash with a tablespoon of butter divided into quarters. lastly, drizzle the tops of each squash with a 1/2 teaspoon of maple syrup. Bake for 60-75 minutes. After the squash has baked for 30 minutes loosely cover the pan with aluminum foil to prevent the filling from burning. Squash is done when tines of a fork are inserted into the flesh of the squash with ease.
Top each stuffed squash with a tablespoon of butter divided into quarters. lastly, drizzle the tops of each squash with a 1/2 teaspoon of maple syrup. Bake for 60-75 minutes. After the squash has baked for 30 minutes loosely cover the pan with aluminum foil to prevent the filling from burning.
Squash is done when tines of a fork are inserted into the flesh of the squash with ease.
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I just made a similar recipe recently and found this, thinking it might be a useful variation. Would this recipe work well with honey instead of maple syrup.
Yes, you could use honey instead, might might need to dilute the honey a bit with water.
So festive and fun!
Thanks Bethany! I feel the same way. This side dish is wonderful any time of the year, but especially during the holidays :)
Just bought some acorn squash - can't wait to try this recipe!
Wonderful! I am so excited for you to try this recipe, Roseann. Enjoy!
I'm going to try this out this weekend with a small sugar pumpkin since I have one sitting on my counter.
YUM! I just know it will taste delicious, Rebecca. Thanks for sharing :)
Wondering if this is doable with less time in oven. Have similar recipe (only filling is a spicy quinoa) where filling is made stove-top while acorn squash is baked in microwave. Finishing touch after filling squash is 10 minutes in a 450 oven to brown up the top a bit. This recipe would be a nice change up -- a lively change to the typical "brown sugar and butter" topping for this squash. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Magan! I am sure this recipe could be done in the microwave. I have have not tried it, but I would love to hear how it turns out! Happy cooking!
Bought ingredients today. Will do squash in microwave: "Use knife to make holes. Nuke 3 minutes to soften squash. Let cool a big and then cut in half. Scoop our "yuk". In baking dish, add 1/8 cup water, set squash cut side down (overlap okay, doesn't need to be flush to dish), cover twice with plastic wrap, pierce wrap. Nuke 5-7 minutes. You can tell when it's done by pressing on flesh with finger, but the good ole "poke with a knife" thing works well too. :) The stuffing I can do on the stove while all this "microwaving fun" is going on.
Wow! Love it, Magan. Thanks for sharing your awesome recipe adaptation! I am sure it will come in handy for those that are running short on time, but REALLY want to eat this side dish. :)
Oh, the first three minutes of nuking is for the purpose of making the squash easier to cut. If I make the knife "vent slots" in the squash along my eventual cut line, that also is helpful in the cutting process. Am I the only one with problems trying to cut an acorn squash in half without softening it up a bit???
You are definitely not the only one! I always microwave butternut squash before I peel it. :)
My dad says two minutes. How long do you nuke yours for?
I usually do 3 minutes :) Happy cooking!
I also have an acorn squash making it's rounds around my kitchen. ;-) Maybe I will give this recipe a try.
Oh, I hope you will! Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to leave a comment, Neena. Happy Thanksgiving!
I have been wanting to experiment with stuffed squash lately. Apple filling is a new idea, I just might have to try it.
Well good timing then! I just know you will enjoy this recipe, Ashley! Blessings to you :)