Fruit and Nut Stuffed Acorn Squash is just the healthy side or main meal you need to try this fall. Stuffed with apples, nuts and cranberries, this can come together pretty quickly. Sweetened with apples and just a bit of brown sugar.
Winter squash is taking over my pantry, my family has said enough and has put a ban on any for at least a week. Since it is a new year and we are supposed to be eating healthy vegetables, the only ones that look appealing in my area of the country are the winter squashes. I found two fabulous acorn squash recipes and a butternut squash recipe to share. (I tried some others but these were the only three that made the cut). You might want to spread them out a bit and not have a squash revolt in your house.
I’m not sure if this should be a side or a dessert. A little sweet but not sweet enough to be a dessert, so I am putting it in the “side” category. It’s a nice accompaniment for grilled chicken or steak or pork tenderloin. It doesn’t take much time if you cook the acorn squash in the microwave instead of roasting it in the oven. You can lighten it up by leaving out some of the butter and brown sugar and just drizzle with honey. Another recipe that we all liked!
Fruit and Nut Stuffed Acorn Squash
Fruit and Nut Stuffed Acorn Squash is just the healthy side or main meal you need to try this fall. Stuffed with apples, nuts and cranberries, this can come together pretty quickly. Sweetened with apples and just a bit of brown sugar.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Side
Ingredients
- 2 acorn squash, cut in half
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 apples, honey crisp or fuji
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- salt
- 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
- 1/4 cup pistachios , chopped
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries, chopped
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- honey
Instructions
- For the squash:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Slice 1/8 of an inch off the bottoms of each squash half so they will sit flat.
- In a large glass baking dish add 2 tablespoons of melted butter. Sprinkle the brown sugar evenly on the bottom of the pan. Lay the squash face down (with the “bottom” facing up) so the exposed flesh touches the brown sugar butter mixture in the pan. Bake in your preheated oven for 40-50 minutes or until knife pierces easily. (You can do this step in the microwave, cooking for about 5 minutes)
- For the stuffing:
- In a 10-inch skillet, melt the remaining tablespoon of butter. Once melted and hot, add in the diced apples. Sauté for 8-10 minutes until soft, but still firm and textured. Add in the cinnamon, nutmeg and a couple pinches of sea salt.
- Remove stuffing mixture to a medium-sized bowl and add in the chopped walnuts, pistachios and cranberries. Add in the vanilla extract and poppy seeds, toss together until well combined.
- To serve:
- Invert the baked squash onto a platter or individual plates. Spoon in some of the brown sugar and butter from the baking dish and drizzle it into the center and along the tops of the squash.
- Fill the squash centers with the apple filling and top with more chopped pistachios and a drizzle of honey. Serve warm.
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