Sausage & Kale Stuffed Acorn Squash is the ultimate easy, healthy fall comfort food. Warm, satisfying, and packed with sweet and savory flavor – it doesn’t get much better!
Hi everyone! My name is Ellen and I’m the busy college student behind the healthy life blog, My Uncommon Everyday. I’m passionate about happiness, health, and food, and that’s what you’ll find on my blog. I share simple and delicious recipes, tips for finding ever-allusive balance in life, and my love for nut butter and really dark chocolate, among other things.
I’m so excited to be guest posting for Ellie today. I connected with her through the wonderful Food Entrepreneur Summit and BGB Community. Aside from the fact that she’s super sweet, Ellie’s gorgeous pictures and seasonal recipes always inspire me. I mean, have you tried her Sweet Potato Fries with Tahini Dip? I eat sweet potatoes practically every day and I’m pretty sure that if you make these, so will you.
Anyway, today I want to share one of my favorite fall meals with you: Sausage and Kale Stuffed Acorn Squash.
A thing you should know about me is that I am almost always hungry. I rarely leave food on my plate, can be found eating a snack 30 minutes after just about any meal, and am always game for dessert. Following a lot of food bloggers on Instagram and developing recipes myself probably doesn’t help. But I digress.
Something you should know about this meal is that it actually keeps me full. As in, I can eat it and then go five hours without eating again. That’s unheard of for me – but totally necessary when you have stuff to do. Sometimes, snacking the day or night away just is not an option.
Did I mention that it reheats well? And it’s delicious? You have sweet, creamy roasted squash, tangy grapes, crispy kale, and garlicky sausage and shallots all mixed together. Add to that the fact that it’s warm and you have the perfect healthy comfort food for all fall.
Oh, and you get to eat it out of the squash! How fun is that?
Have you made stuffed acorn squash? What is your favorite way to fill it? Let me know in the comments!
Sausage & Kale Stuffed Acorn Squash
Ingredients
- 1 acorn squash*
- 4 cups chopped kale
- 2 Tablespoons sliced shallots
- 1 cup grapes, halved
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 fully-cooked chicken sausages**
- Parmesan cheese, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Cut acorn squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Place squash face down on the lined baking sheet.
- Roast squash for 35-40 minutes, until tender and you can easy pierce the skin.
- While the squash is roasting, massage the kale with 1 t. olive oil until it softens, about a minute or two.
- Chop the chicken sausage into bite-sized pieces.
- Add sliced shallots and massaged kale to a large skillet over medium heat. Cook 3 minutes, until tender.
- Add halved grapes and chopped chicken sausage to the shallots and kale. Cook another 3 minutes, until grapes start to shrivel.
- Season the mixture in the skillet with salt, pepper, and balsamic vinegar.
- Allow vinegar to get reduce for about 5 minutes and get soaked up.
- When the squash is done roasting and has cooled for a couple minutes, turn the oven to broil and flip the halves over. Stuff them with the kale and sausage mixture (it’s okay if they’re overflowing!) and top with Parmesan cheese, if desired.
- Broil the halves for 3-5 minutes, until cheese is slightly melted and squash looks crisp.
- Enjoy! I recommend putting the halves on a plate so there’s room for overflow, but the squash will be tender enough that you can just scoop it with a fork.
Notes
* You can roast your squash beforehand if you want. Rather than broiling everything at the end, just put it in the oven at 350°F until heated through.
**I used a garlic chicken sausage from Trader Joe’s. Use your favorite!
The recipe is easily doubled. Fully assembled, it also stores well for up to two days in the fridge. To reheat, you can microwave it for about a minute and a half or put it in the oven at 350° until heated through.
