This recipe for gluten-free stuffed acorn squash is a well-balanced meal that not only tastes delicious but looks beautiful as well. It’s perfect for a fall dinner party or as an impressive alternative to Thanksgiving turkey.

Gluten-Free Stuffed Acorn Squash

Stuffed acorn squash may sound intimidating and complicated to make, but this recipe is actually quite easy. The steps are all straightforward and the dish can be prepped in 15 minutes or less. You can even save time by cooking the filling the day before and storing it in the fridge until you’re ready to stuff and bake the acorn squash. This is a great fall comfort food with everything you need for a well-balanced meal in one. 

You’ll find all the tips and tricks to make this stuffed acorn squash in the steps below.

Ingredients

• Acorn Squash: The edible bowl that holds the filling. Acorn squash has a mild flavor that pairs well with almost every protein and grain.
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil: A light drizzle helps to keep the moisture in the squash as it roasts.
• Ground Sausage: A protein to make this a delicious and filling meal.    
• Mushrooms: Delicious vegetable that pairs nicely with the sausage and adds a fall earthiness to the dish.  
• White Onion: Brings extra flavor to this recipe. A little goes a long way so try not to go overboard.
• Italian Seasoning: Blend of basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme, and marjoram.
• Minced Garlic: Another flavor booster. 
• Fennel Seeds: Gives the sausage mixture that iconic Italian flavor. It’s a powerful, licorice-like spice. 
• Salt: Brings all the flavors together. 
• Ground Black Pepper: Adds a little kick.
• Brown Rice: A hearty whole grain that turns this into a well-balanced meal.
• Shredded Mozzarella Cheese: Creates a delicious gooey topping on the squash.

How to Make Gluten-Free Stuffed Acorn Squash

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.  Spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Cut each acorn squash in half lengthwise. 
2. Scoop out the seeds and stringy bits out of the middle of each acorn squash and discard. Place the 4 halves cut-side-up in the baking dish and drizzle olive oil over each acorn squash. Place in oven and bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until a fork can easily pierce through them.
3. In a large frying pan on medium heat, cook the ground sausage until browned and fully cooked. Use a slotted spoon to remove the cooked sausage from the pan, place in a bowl, and set aside. Reduce heat to low.
4. In the same frying pan with the remaining grease from the sausage, sauté the mushrooms, onion, Italian seasoning, minced garlic, fennel seeds, salt and pepper until vegetables have softened slightly, about 2 to 3 minutes.
5. Add the ground sausage and cooked rice into the frying pan and stir together just until the mixture is fully heated.
6. Stir ½ cup of the shredded cheese and stir until just melted. Remove from heat and transfer the filling mixture to a large bowl. Set aside.
7. Once the acorn squash has finished roasting, remove from the oven and reduce the heat to 375°F. Spoon the filling mixture in the hollow middle of each acorn squash. Pack this mixture in well — it’s okay if it overflows a bit. 
8. Top each stuffed acorn squash with the remaining 1 cup of shredded cheese. 
9. Place into the oven and bake for 15 minutes until the cheese is fully melted.
10. Serve hot. Optional: Sprinkle lightly with additional freshly ground black pepper or freshly chopped thyme. 

Can You Eat the Skin of an Acorn Squash?

Acorn squash skin is edible, but can be a little tough to chew. I’d recommend using the skin to act as the bowl, then discard it after you’ve eaten all of the filling.

Tips for Making the Best Gluten-free Stuffed Acorn Squash

• Choose medium-sized acorn squash so that you have enough filling for all four halves. 
• Choose acorn squash that are similar in size so that they roast at the same speed. 
• Don’t carve out too much of the middle when scooping out the seeds and stringy bits. Acorn squash is packed with healthy nutrients so you want to cook as much of it as possible.

How Long Does It Take to Make Gluten-free Stuffed Acorn Squash?

It takes about 40 minutes to roast the acorn squash, 15 minutes to prepare the filling, then 15 minutes to bake the filled squash in the oven. This comes to just over an hour of time in total. To be efficient and save time, you can work on the filling mixture to overlap some of that time.

How Long Is Gluten-Free Stuffed Acorn Squash Good For?

This can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave for about 1 ½ minutes. This recipe doesn’t freeze well as the acorn squash would get too mushy.

Substitutions

• Almost any sort of protein goes well in the filling: ground chicken, ground turkey, ground beef, or even shredded chicken would all work beautifully.
• To make this vegetarian, skip the sausage and use more mushrooms or a plant-based meat alternative. You can also add other vegetables, but stay away from leafy greens as those would release too much moisture.
• You can mix up the grain and use other grains like wild rice or quinoa. Just make sure to cook the grain before stirring it into the filling mixture.
• You can also experiment with different cheeses like cheddar, Monterey Jack, or even Parmesan. 

Gluten-Free Stuffed Acorn Squash

This healthy, well-balanced meal makes it a great fall comfort food. Experiment with different fillings and spices while acorn squash is in season and see what you like best!

More Gluten-Free Fall Recipes to Try!

• Gluten-Free Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese
• Gluten-Free Roasted Sweet Potatoes
• Gluten-Free Chili
• Gluten-Free Slow-Cooker Pot Roast

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