This savory stuffed acorn squash is so delicious it’s addicting! A sausage and cauliflower rice stuffing is seasoned with lots of fresh herbs and served toasty in roasted acorn squash bowls. Perfect as a holiday side dish or an anytime meal. Paleo, Whole30, and low in carbs.
Stuffed acorn squash is one of my absolute favorite things to cook in the fall. I have three other stuffed acorn squash recipes on the blog and they’re all delicious – you really can’t go wrong.
I decided to branch out just a little from the others and make something totally savory (no apples or cranberries) but still a little bit sweet of course, due to the acorn squash. Since rice stuffings are so popular with acorn squash, I figured I go with a cauliflower rice stuffing to make it Paleo and Whole30 friendly.
I was beyond delighted (yes, DELIGHTED) with the result! You get a great texture and flavor with the sausage “rice” stuffing, sautéed onions and garlic, and fresh herbs. It’s incredibly simple to throw together and also feels fancy enough for your holiday table!
What You Need To Make Stuffed Acorn Squash with Sausage and “Rice”
I used fresh and simple ingredients with lots of flavor. If you’re having trouble finding Whole30 compliant sausage, make sure to check local grocers for store-made sausage with few additives.
U.S. Wellness Meats and Jones Dairy Farm also have great sugar-free sausage. You can also make your own sausage meat easily with common spices you probably already have in your pantry.
Here’s what you’ll need for the stuffed acorn squash:
- Acorn Squash
- Avocado oil, or olive oil
- Italian sausage meat
- Onions
- Garlic
- Cauliflower rice
- Mushrooms
- Rosemary
- Sage
- Thyme
- Parsley
- Nutritional yeast (for flavor)
- Coconut milk, or almond milk
- Sea salt and black pepper
- Crushed red pepper
How to Roast Acorn Squash
If you’re not familiar with roasting acorn squash, you’re in for a treat! It’s easy and so delicious. Here’s what to do:
- Cut your squash lengthwise and scoop out all the seeds and strings with a spoon.
- Brush the inside with oil (or you can spray with avocado oil spray) and sprinkle all over with sea salt
- Place the squash halves face down on a parchment lined baking sheet. Roast in a 400° F oven for 22-30 minutes. The squash is done when the top is easily pressed in when pushed and beginning to caramelize on the inside.
- Handle the roasted squash carefully before stuffing – it’s hot!
Since you prepare the filling while the squash roasts, the overall time needed to prepare the stuffed squash is around 30 minutes.
How to Meal Prep Stuffed Acorn Squash
If you want to make it ahead of time, you’re in luck because it’s an easy one to prep! You can roast the acorn squash and make the filling, then simply store both tightly covered (or wrapped) in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
You can reheat the filling and squash separately in the oven (covered) or fill the squash and reheat it altogether in the oven. Just make sure you cover it in the oven so the tops don’t brown too much. A 375 or 400° F oven will work best for reheating.
I hope you’re ready for a seriously delicious, fall favorite that I know you’re absolutely going to love! Grab your squash and preheat the oven because it’s time to cook – let’s go!
Stuffed Acorn Squash with Sausage + “Rice” {Whole30, Paleo}
Stuffed Acorn Squash with Sausage and “Rice” {Whole30, Paleo}
Ingredients
- 2 medium acorn squash
- Avocado or olive oil + sea salt for roasting
- 2 Tbsp avocado oil or ghee divided
- 1 lb Italian sausage bulk, homemade or store bought
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 1 cup white mushrooms chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- Sea salt and black pepper to taste
- 2 tsp fresh rosemary minced
- 2 tsp fresh sage minced
- 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
- 1 Tbsp fresh parsley minced
- 2 cups riced cauliflower I buy this pre-riced
- 2 Tbsp almond milk or coconut milk
- 2 tsp nutritional yeast optional
- Sea salt and black pepper to taste
- 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper optional
Instructions
-
Preheat your oven to 400° F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut both acorn squash in half, lengthwise, and scoop out the seeds with a spoon.
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Drizzle the insides with oil and brush to coat, then sprinkle with sea salt. Place squash face down on the prepared baking sheet and roast in the preheated oven for 22-30 minutes, or until it feels tender when the top is pressed on. You might need more or less time depending on the size of your squash.
-
Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium high heat and add 1 Tbsp of avocado oil or ghee. Once hot, crumble in the sausage and use a spoon or spatula to break up lumps. Cook until browned, stirring as needed, about 5-7 minutes, then remove to a plate.
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Lower the heat to medium and add another Tbsp of oil or ghee. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally until soft and fragrant, about 3-5 minutes.
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Add the mushrooms and garlic, then sprinkle with sea salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, 3 minutes, then stir in the rosemary, sage, thyme, and parley. Continue to cook another 2-4 minutes or until soft and fragrant.
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Stir in the cauliflower rice, milk, and nutritional yeast. Cook, stirring occasionally, a few minutes to soften the rice, then season with sea salt, black pepper, and red pepper if desired. Add the cooked sausage back to the skillet and cook the mixture together for another two minutes to blend flavors.
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Preheat your broiler. Keep the squash on the baking sheet, face up, and fill with the stuffing mixture, piling it up to use all the stuffing. Your squash might be more or less full depending on size. Place under the broiler for 2-4 minutes or until the tops are nicely browned and sizzling.
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Remove from the oven and serve right away, garnished with more fresh herbs if desired. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
*You can make the stuffing and roast the squash in advance to meal prep. Reheat the filled squash in the oven on 400° F, covered with aluminum foil until heated through. Uncover and broil 2-4 minutes as directed in the last instruction.
**This recipe makes 8 side dish servings or about 4 main dish servings. Nutrition is calculated for 8 servings.
Nutrition
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Want More Paleo and Whole30 Fall and Thanksgiving Recipes? Try one of These!
Cauliflower Thanksgiving Stuffing
Butternut Squash Stuffing with Sausage, Apples and Cranberries
Ultimate Roasted Acorn Squash with Sausage Apple Stuffing
Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes with Roasted Garlic and Bacon
One Skillet Cranberry Orange Chicken
Butternut Squash Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing
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This looks SO good! How do you rice cauliflower? I have a head I’d like to use ?
Can you use dried herbs instead of fresh?
Your recipes are so delicious!! I have not had a bad one yet!!! I am going to make your Zuppa Toscana Soup for a brunch and wanted to make this stuffed acorn squash to go with it. Would you recommend this or something else to go with the soup?
I’d love to be served that menu! It sounds delicious
Oh my goodness, thank you! Your recipes have made our whole 30 journey so wonderful! We decided to go paleo after our w30 is over because we knew that we could find amazing recipes on your blog. Many, many thanks!!!
I’m so thankful I discovered your blog a while back. I haven’t found any other blog with nearly as delicious recipes. I cook your recipes several nights a week and have yet to be disappointed. This recipe was amazing! Perfect for fall! Thanks for filling my and my family’s my stomach with deliciousness!
What great ideas! This looks so fun and delicious treats too!
This dish was easy to create. I, the chef in the house, was able to sample each step of the way too. It’s going to great!
Excellent
This was so good! My boyfriend said it was in his top 5 favorite dinners we’ve had. The flavor was unbelievably good and I can’t wait to make them again and to share the recipe with my friends. Thank you!
Wonderful fall meal! We loved it, and easy to make. I used chicken sausage and it came out great. Thanks for the recipe
This was delicious! I’ve never had acorn squash before. I not only loved it but my husband and toddler did as well! I loved the savory taste with the sweetness of the squash. The flavors mixed so well together. I added spinach on top! This recipe will definitely be made again!
We didn’t really like this. The spices were overwhelming.
This was excellent! I love the flavor combination of the fresh herbs with the sausage, onions and garlic.
I made this recipe tonight for me and my husband. I had one squash so I cut the recipe in half. I wanted to see if it was guest ready. Boy was it good. I definitely will be adding it to my next Thanksgiving meal!
Wow! This was incredible! In fact, every time I try one of your recipes, I love it!! Keep up your awesome work!!
If your cauliflower rice is frozen would that alter the recipe?
I would either thaw or cook in the microwave and drain some of the liquid. Otherwise, it might be too watery.
Can these be pre-assembled and frozen?
Excellent! I made it and we couldn’t eat it fast enough. The ONLY thing I did different was use vegan sausage. I KNOW it would have been so much better with the real sausage but for health reasons I am limiting my meat intake. But still it was full of flavor and my husband scarfed it down so fast it made my head spin. And he was like Bob on “what about Bob’ saying mmmm…. mmmmm every few minutes.
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