Soy Free Sausage and Apple Stuffed Acorn Squash
Roasted acorn squash makes the most naturally beautiful edible bowl, and filling it with savory spiced pork and sweet diced apple turns a humble fall vegetable into a genuinely impressive dinner. The ground pork is seasoned with sage, thyme, ginger, turmeric, and Ceylon cinnamon — a warm, aromatic blend that smells incredible as it cooks and tastes even better once it mingles with the tender apple and a splash of apple cider vinegar. That little hit of vinegar lifts the whole filling, balancing the richness of the pork and the sweetness of the fruit in a way that keeps every bite interesting. A drizzle of maple syrup over the top before the final roast adds a glossy, caramelized finish that makes the squash edges turn beautifully golden. Soy is one of those ingredients that sneaks into an enormous number of packaged sausages and seasoning blends, but because this recipe builds its own sausage mixture from scratch using ground pork and individual spices, there's nothing hidden to worry about. Every ingredient here is straightforward and easy to verify. The result is a complete, satisfying meal in one vessel — sweet, savory, a little spiced, and deeply cozy — that's just as fitting for a weeknight dinner as it is for a fall gathering.
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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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