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5 from 3 votes

Meat Lover's Apple Stuffed Acorn Squash

Meat Lover's Apple Stuffed Acorn Squash are filled with all of the flavors and spices of the autumn season including two kinds of ground meat and naturally sweet handpicked apples.
Cook Time45 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Course: Mains
Cuisine: American
Servings: 2
Calories: 502kcal
Author: HWC Magazine

Ingredients

  • 1 acorn squash
    cut in half, seeds removed
  • ½ cup water
  • 2 tablespoon olive oil
    ( or coconut oil, if you prefer) 1 tablespoon is for the meat and apple stuffing and the other tablespoon is for the final roasting of the acorn squash)
  • 1 onion
    small peeled and chopped
  • 1 clove garlic
    peeled and minced
  • 2 small apples
    gala apples (or crispy apples of choice like granny smiths, fuji, etc)
  • ¼ pound ground turkey
    lean
  • ¼ pound hamburger
    lean
  • 1 teaspoon rosemary
    dried or 1 tablespoon fresh chopped.
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon - 1 teaspoon
  • 1 teaspoon sage
  • ½ teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
    or to taste (optional)
  • salt and pepper
    to taste
  • pomegranates optional - seeds to garnish

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees F ( 204 degrees C).
  • Carefully with a sharp and sturdy knife ( We used a Chinese clever), cut the acorn squash in half going with the natural grooves of the squash. (You could also use butternut, kaboacha or other naturally sweet squash that you desire. You will have to adjust the cooking time according to the size of your squash.)
  • Line your baking tray with waxed paper/ parchment paper (just for easier cleanup) and place your acorn squash down in the pan, cut side down. Place about ½ to ¾ cup water in the pan to help steam the squash. Bake the acorn squash between 30 minutes to 40 minutes or until your can push the fork easily into the outer green covering of the acorn squash. (Our acorn squash were fork tender in 30 minutes)
  • While your acorn squash are baking in the oven, prepare your meat eater's apple stuffing for the acorn squash. In a medium frying pan, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil, onion, garlic and apples and saute just until to start to become fork tender. You want to leave them a little crisp for texture. (Remove apple, onion and garlic mixture from pan and set aside) Add the ground turkey, ground lean hamburger, rosemary, cinnamon, sage, dried red pepper flakes and salt and pepper to taste and cook until ground meats are browned ( about 5 minutes) Add the apple mixture back in with the meat mixture and stir. (Fresh herbs are the best and if you have access to them, that is preferred, but you will need to add more herbs as fresh herbs are not as strong as dried herbs, in many cases)
  • When the acorn squash are fork tender, flip over so that cut side is up. Brush on olive oil, salt and pepper to taste and sprinkle on a little ground cinnamon. (If you have a sweet tooth and really need an extra sweet and savory dish then drizzle on a little maple syrup to the acorn squash halves before adding the meat eaters apple stuffing mixture) Spoon the meat eaters apple stuffing inside the acorn squash halves. Drizzle with a little olive oil and bake for about 10 minutes more or until the edges of the acorn squash turn lightly browned and the meat mixture gets a little brown crust. Remove from oven.
  • Garnish your Meat Eaters Apple Stuffed Acorn Squash with pomegranate seeds and enjoy!

Notes

These delicious Meat Lover's Apple Stuffed Acorn Squash can be made in advance and covered in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or can be frozen up to 2 months.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 502kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 79mg | Sodium: 99mg | Potassium: 1290mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 1061IU | Vitamin C: 35mg | Calcium: 128mg | Iron: 4mg