Perfectly cooked twice baked acorn squash is stuffed with crisp, pan-fried bacon, sausage, apple, and other delicious ingredients. This stuffed, baked acorn squash makes a delicious holiday side dish or meal. Thank you, Babbleboxx for sponsoring today’s tasty post.
If you love vegetable sides that are made with quality ingredients, you will love this sweet and savory Twice Baked Acorn Squash with Bacon & Sausage. It is jam-packed with high quality ingredients and is easier to make than you might think.
I recently received a Thanksgiving themed Babbleboxx which inspired me to create a unique, delicious acorn squash side dish that is perfect for Thanksgiving or anytime of year.
Before I get into this scrumptious, meaty acorn squash side dish, I wanted to share some of the items that were inside my Babbleboxx. These food-related items are perfect staples to make your holiday even tastier.
Bridgford® Parkerhouse Style Rolls Dough:
Each package contains 24 rolls that are one ounce each. Bake all 24 at once, or split them up (use within 30 days). These rolls are non-GMO, contain no preservatives, and are made with real cane sugar. They are perfect as a Thanksgiving side or use them for mini sliders for leftovers.
Save with this printable Bridgford® Foods coupon.
4C Homestyle Parmesan Cheese – This is a favorite Parmesan cheese because it doesn’t contain cellulose, fillers, or preservatives. It has a nutty flavor and would be delicious in appetizer recipes like stuffed cheese mushrooms.
4C Bread Crumbs (regular and gluten-free)– We used these breadcrumbs in our acorn squash recipe to thicken the filling. I love the flavor, and texture for this recipe base. Find 4C on Facebook too!
I Cook in Color: Bright Flavors from My Kitchen and Around the World by Asha Gomez and Martha Hall Foose
I can always appreciate some diversity in cooking. This cookbook really inspired me to cook with more veggies–hence the bright & colorful acorn squash recipe.
This cookbook is on trend with diverse cuisine, is flavor-forward, visually stunning, and motivating to get cooking! I loved scrolling through the beautiful glossy pages to get some unique cooking inspo!
Tribe Hummus in Dark Chocolate & Pumpkin Pie
These sweet hummus dips are the perfect starter that needs to be on your dessert tray this holiday season. Pair these sweet hummus flavors with fresh fruit, crackers, cookies, & more!
These better for you sweet snacks are made with chickpeas, and additions like cocoa, & warm, fall spices. Enjoy them as a dessert spread, snack tray addition, or with a spoon. My favorite is the pumpkin pie which is the perfect seasonal snack to enjoy with my entire family this fall.
Visit tribehummus.com for a store locator and $1 off coupon!
Save 20% on your next order from The Baconer! Use code: SSCBaconLover20 – valid until 12/31
The Bacon Lover from The Baconer is the PERFECT gift for bacon lovers! Featured is the Bacon Lover package which includes:
2 packs of Small Batch Bacon
1 pack of XXL Bacon Steaks (super-sized strips cut at ½” thick)
1 package of Smoked Lardons (bite size bacon pieces)
1 package of Ground Bacon (100% pure, unadulterated coarse-ground bacon).
The Baconer bacon products are different from the competition because the pigs they use are free to roam without gestation crates. They are also fed a 100% vegetarian diet that contains no antibiotics, or hormones.
Each product is expertly smoked to perfection with chef-driven flavor inspiration. The Baconer bacon is the #1 Premium Artisan Bacon with hard to find cuts. It really made my Stuffed Acorn Squash POP with flavor!
Baked Acorn Squash with Bacon & Sausage ingredients
- The Baconer Smoked Lardons
- Granny Smith apple
- Spinach
- Onion
- Celery
- Ground Sweet Italian sausage
- 4C Bread Crumbs
- Acorn Squash
- Light brown sugar
- Olive oil
How to Prepare Acorn Squash
Before baking your acorn squash there is some prep work that will need to be done for the best results.
- Wash and dry your squash. Using a sharp, large knife, and a sturdy cutting board that doesn’t move carefully slice your squash in half. You can cut it widthwise or lengthwise.
- Scoop out any seeds and excess flesh with an ice cream scoop. Discard seeds into the compost bin.
- Coat flesh sides of squash with olive oil. Place squash flesh side down on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Squash will be fork tender with a caramelized flesh and soft outer skin.
How to Prepare Stuffing for Acorn Squash
Heat a large skillet and add bacon pieces to it. Cook until bacon is crisp and a deep reddish color. Remove pan from heat and remove bacon pieces using a slotted spoon. I put mine in a paper towel lined dish.
Add ground sausage, chopped celery, apple, and onion to the pan and cook until sausage is browned and veggies are tender.
Place the spinach in the pan, and cook for about 45 seconds or until spinach is wilted. Add back the cooked bacon pieces, and bread crumbs. Stir to combine the filling.
Add about 3/4 of stuffing to each baked acorn squash. Return squash to the oven and bake for an additional ten minutes. You can add some 4C Parmesan Cheese if you please. Simply sprinkle each with about a tablespoon of cheese before baking.
Bacon & Sausage Stuffed Acorn Squash
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 Acorn Squash
- 8 ounces The Baconer Smoked Bacon Lardons or cubed bacon
- 1 Granny Smith apple peeled, cored, cubed
- 2 stalks celery chopped
- 1 medium yellow onion chopped
- 1 cup spinach
- 1 lb. Sweet Italian Sausage ground
- 3/4 cup 4C Bread Crumbs
- 2 tbsps. light brown sugar
- 2 tbsps. olive oil
Instructions
- Wash and dry your squash. Using a sharp, large knife, and a sturdy cutting board that doesn’t move carefully slice your squash in half. You can cut it widthwise or lengthwise. Scoop out any seeds and excess flesh with an ice cream scoop. Discard seeds into the compost bin. Coat flesh sides of squash with olive oil. Place squash flesh side down on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 30-35 minutes at 400° Fahrenheit. Squash will be fork tender with a caramelized flesh and soft outer skin.
- Heat a large skillet and add bacon pieces to it. Cook until bacon is crisp and a deep reddish color. Remove pan from heat and remove bacon pieces using a slotted spoon. I put mine in a paper towel lined dish.
- Add ground sausage, chopped celery, apple, and onion to the pan and cook until sausage is browned and veggies are tender. Place the spinach in the pan and cook for about 45 seconds or until spinach is wilted. Add back the cooked bacon pieces, and bread crumbs. Stir to combine the filling.
- Scoop about 3/4 of stuffing to each baked acorn squash. Return squash to the oven and bake for an additional ten minutes. You can add some 4C Parmesan Cheese if you please. Simply sprinkle each with about a tablespoon of cheese before baking.
- Place stuffed squash halves back in the oven on the same parchment-lined pan and bake for 10 minutes at 350°.
This looks so good, but you listed light brown sugar in the ingredients but did not give how to use it in the instructions. Do you just add with the sausage and vegies?
Hello, sorry it is cooked with the veggies and sausage! My apologies.