Artificial Food Coloring Free Sausage and Apple Stuffed Acorn Squash
Roasted acorn squash filled with savory-sweet pork and tender apple chunks is the kind of meal that feels like autumn in a single bite. The warm spice blend — sage, thyme, cinnamon, ginger, and turmeric — builds real depth without relying on any packaged seasoning blends or pre-mixed spice kits that can quietly sneak in synthetic dyes. Every ingredient here is whole and straightforward: fresh produce, ground pork, and pantry spices you can read at a glance. That matters a lot when you're trying to avoid artificial food coloring, because the sneaky sources are often processed sauces, flavored meats, and convenience shortcuts — none of which show up in this recipe. The maple syrup drizzled over the top at the end adds a gorgeous caramelized finish that makes the dish look almost too pretty to eat. It's hearty enough to stand alone as a complete dinner, and the natural colors from the golden squash, browned pork, and flecks of green parsley make the plate genuinely stunning without any artificial help.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
For the squash
- 2 medium acorn squash (about 1.5 lb each), halved through the stem and seeds removed
- 2 tbsp coconut oil, melted, divided
- ½ tsp fine sea salt, divided
For the filling
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1 tsp dried sage
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp ground turmeric
- ¼ tsp ceylon cinnamon
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
- 2 stalks celery, finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 medium apples (such as honeycrisp or fuji), peeled and diced into ½-inch pieces
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
For finishing
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
Instructions
- 1
Preheat the oven to 400°F (205°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- 2
Brush the cut sides and cavities of the acorn squash halves with 1 tbsp of the melted coconut oil and sprinkle with 1/4 tsp of the salt. Place cut-side down on the prepared baking sheet and roast for 30 minutes, until the flesh is just tender when pierced with a knife.
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