Paraben 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 makes a weeknight feel like a special occasion. The filling layers ground pork with warming spices — sage, thyme, Ceylon cinnamon, and a touch of turmeric — alongside sautéed onion, celery, and fresh garlic, creating a deeply fragrant mixture that perfumes the whole kitchen. Diced Honeycrisp or Fuji apple adds a bright, juicy contrast to the savory pork, and a splash of apple cider vinegar lifts everything with just enough tang. A drizzle of maple syrup over the top before the final roast caramelizes the edges of the squash into something genuinely gorgeous. Every ingredient here is a whole, recognizable food — coconut oil, fresh produce, ground pork, and pantry spices — with nothing processed or synthetic hiding in the mix, which is exactly what makes this recipe such a reliable choice when you're being careful about what goes into your food. It's naturally free of the synthetic preservatives and additives that show up in so many packaged convenience meals, so you get all the comfort-food satisfaction with total peace of mind. Let it rest for five minutes before serving and watch it disappear fast.
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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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