This healthy acorn squash recipe is all about the sweet and savory Autumn stuffing of ground turkey, apples, pecans and celery are sautéed and piled high into a roasted acorn squash half to make the perfect fall flavored entree that is Whole30 and Paleo approved.
Healthy Fall Recipe
As we get into the fall season, its so very easy to go off the deep end with all the amazing foods around. Having really amazing recipes that truly remind me of Thanksgiving make it a little easier for me to eat real, nutritious foods that aren't nearly as inflammatory as some of my favorite alternatives (ahem...sourdough stuffing).
Roasted Acorn Squash
If you've worked with one winter squash, you've worked with them all. They're all pretty similar, however some are easier to cut into that others. The acorn squash is small and has ridges to hold it into place on a cutting board, so these are some of the easiest winter squashes to work with.
All you have to do to roast these little squash to perfection is cut them in half and brush them with a little olive oil and generously coat them with salt and pepper.
To get these beauties to stay level on a plate when you serve them, I have little trick for you. Shave off a little on the bottom to make a flat section for it to sit on the plate.
Apple Turkey Stuffing and Pecan Crusted
The base of the stuffing for the acorn squash is lean ground turkey. The turkey is sautéed with onions, celery, an apple, and (if you are into them) some golden raisins. The flavors of the meat, fruits and veggies is so perfect, there is little seasoning to be done. Just a little garlic and sage and the the stuffing is flavored to perfection.
QUICK TIP: Be sure to scoop out a good portion of the squash just for convenience sake. Scooping acorn squash out of the skin is kind of a drag unless is almost overcooked. So I just scoop it all out into the stuffing to make eating it a whole lot easier.
Other Healthy Fall Recipes
- Cranberry Orange Brussels Sprouts Slaw
- Grain Free Pumpkin Spice Pancakes
- Paleo Roasted Autumn Squash Soup
📖 Recipe
Apple Pecan Turkey Stuffed Acorn Squash
Ingredients
- 2 acorn squash (halved lengthwise)
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 1 pound lean ground turkey
- 1 small onion (diced)
- 2 stalk celery (diced)
- 1 honey crisp apple (peeled, cored, diced)
- ½ teaspoon ground sage
- 1 clove garlic (minced)
- ½ cup golden raisins ((optional))
- ¼ cup pecans (finely diced)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees. On a rimmed baking sheet, season cut sides of squash with salt and pepper, drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil, and turn cut sides down. Cover sheet tightly with foil and roast until tender, about 35 minutes.
- While the squash cooks, heat remaining oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add celery, apple and onion and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and stir continuously until fragrant.
- Add turkey, sage and additional salt and pepper to the vegetables and sauté until turkey is no longer pink. Remove the skillet from the heat; stir in the raisins.
- Carefully scoop out the most of the flesh from each squash half, leaving about an inch for support and stir into stuffing mixture; season with salt and pepper to taste. Divide turkey mixture among squash halves, coat the halves generously with pecans and put back in the oven at 450˚ for an additional 2-3 minutes to toast the pecans on the acorns (skip this step if you have pre-roasted pecans).
Nutrition
RECIPE EQUIPMENT
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