Southwestern Stuffed Acorn Squash

Rating: 4.88 stars
42 Ratings
  • 5 star values: 37
  • 4 star values: 5
  • 3 star values: 0
  • 2 star values: 0
  • 1 star values: 0

Cumin and chili powder season a filling of turkey sausage, tomatoes, black beans and Swiss cheese for creamy acorn squash. Serve this stuffed squash with warmed corn tortillas for wrapping up bites of all the tasty ingredients.

EatingWell Test Kitchen
Source: EatingWell Magazine, September/October 2007

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Recipe Summary

total:
1 hr 30 mins
Servings:
6
Nutrition Profile:
Low-Calorie
High Fiber
Gluten-Free
High Calcium
Bone Health
Healthy Aging
Healthy Immunity
Low Added Sugars
Nutrition Info
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Ingredients

Directions

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.

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  • Cut squash in half horizontally. Scoop out and discard seeds. Place the squash cut-side down on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until tender, about 45 minutes.

  • Meanwhile, lightly coat a large skillet with cooking spray; heat over medium heat. Add sausage and cook, stirring and breaking up with a wooden spoon, until lightly browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Add onion and bell pepper; cook, stirring often, until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, chili powder and cumin; cook for 30 seconds. Stir in tomatoes, beans, salt and hot sauce, scraping up any browned bits. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer until the tomatoes are broken down, 10 to 12 minutes.

  • When the squash are tender, reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees . Fill the squash halves with the turkey mixture. Top with cheese. Place on the baking sheet and bake until the filling is heated through and the cheese is melted, 8 to 10 minutes.

Tips

Tip: While we love the convenience of canned beans, they tend to be high in sodium. Give them a good rinse before adding to a recipe to rid them of some of their sodium (up to 35 percent) or opt for low-sodium or no-salt-added varieties. (Our recipes are analyzed with rinsed, regular canned beans.) Or, if you have the time, cook your own beans from scratch.

Easy cleanup: Recipes that require cooking spray can leave behind a sticky residue that can be hard to clean. To save time and keep your baking sheet looking fresh, line it with a layer of foil before you apply the cooking spray.

Nutrition Facts

Per Serving:
251 calories; protein 14.1g 28% DV; carbohydrates 35.9g 12% DV; exchange other carbs 2.5; dietary fiber 7.6g 30% DV; sugars 9g; fat 7.2g 11% DV; saturated fat 3.9g 20% DV; cholesterol 29.5mg 10% DV; vitamin a iu 2083.6IU 42% DV; vitamin c 46.9mg 78% DV; folate 81.1mcg 20% DV; calcium 244.1mg 24% DV; iron 2.9mg 16% DV; magnesium 80.6mg 29% DV; potassium 1045.9mg 29% DV; sodium 478.4mg 19% DV; thiamin 0.4mg 39% DV.
Exchanges:

2 starch, 1 vegetable

Reviews (40)

Read More Reviews
42 Ratings
  • 5 star values: 37
  • 4 star values: 5
  • 3 star values: 0
  • 2 star values: 0
  • 1 star values: 0
Reviews:
Most Helpful Most Positive Least Positive Newest
Lahke
Rating: 4 stars
11/23/2018
I love this recipe but think that there's a typo --there is no way that a whole tablespoon of chili powder can be right. Was it supposed to be a tablespoon of cumin and a teaspoon of chili? Read More
Artie Pierce
Rating: 5 stars
01/04/2018
Easy to prepare and quite tasty. The whole family enjoyed it. I did change the recipe slightly. I used 1 lbs ground beef and added a small red jalapeño pepper. I also used sharps cheddar cheese in place of the Swiss cheese. Read More
Jan
Rating: 5 stars
12/19/2017
I have been making this for years now. Originally with the ground turkey. Then I discovered chicken "chorizo" at my local Sprouts market. (ground chicken with chorizo seasonings). It took this dish over the top!! Depending on the spiciness of your chicken chorizo adjust or omit the chili powder and cumin. Chorizo seasoning is available in the Hispanic food section of many grocery stores. Or you can make your own. Give it a try! Read More
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I love Lemons
Rating: 5 stars
11/07/2016
This was my first time making stuffed squash it was great! I will definitely make it again Read More
bradfieldsmith@gmail.com
Rating: 4 stars
04/13/2015
Always a hit no matter how I change it up The first several times I prepared this dish exactly according to the recipe and it came out great. The only change I made was to roast one squash divide the stuffing into three meal-size portions for my husband and me and stuff with one portion and freeze the other two. Which works just great if you can resist taking the stuffing for lunch the next day. I like to serve the squash with corn tortillas and southwestern-style slaw or a mixed green salad. I used to get irritated with people who rated a recipe high or low then said they'd made substitutions for almost every ingredient. They didn't really make the recipe so how could they give it an honest review? Well I'm one of those people now. I decided to try a vegetarian version so I substituted 2 cups frozen corn kernels for the sausage (you have to increase the seasoning if you do this). The corn is quicker too--just saute the aromatics in a little canola oil and dump in the corn and the rest of the stuffing ingredients. I gave up the expensive cherry tomatoes and now use one 14.5 ounce can of no-salt-added petite diced tomatoes for convenience. I've substituted Monterey Jack and cheddar for the Swiss cheese and cheddar is better. We like this recipe more every time we have it regardless of changes. Pros: Easy delicious versatile Cons: None! Read More
EatingWell User
Rating: 5 stars
01/31/2014
Yummy! Had some of the filling left over and plan on using it tomorrow morning in my eggs as one of the other reviewers suggested. Pros: Easy to make and quick. Cons: None Read More
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wcruns
Rating: 4 stars
01/21/2014
Yummy! I make this frequently. It's so easy to make and absolutely delicious. I've made it for several people and everyone loves it! Sometimes I just use one squash then use the leftover stuffing the next morning in eggs. Yummy!!! Pros: Easy to make Read More
EatingWell User
Rating: 5 stars
11/08/2013
spicey squash recipe This recipe is delicious as is. Just follow the recipe and make no changes. I look forward to fall to make this dish. Pros: tasty filling easy Read More
EatingWell User
Rating: 4 stars
08/18/2013
I really liked this dish - I used ground beef instead of turkey sausage and added corn. However I made everything the day before then tried to reheat it in the oven. It took FOREVER even after turning the heat up and it was still cold at the bottom. So I wouldn't recommend reheating it altogether in this way. I ended up smearing the squash on corn tortillas and spooning the meat mixture on top to make tacos. It was amazing. Read More
EatingWell User
Rating: 5 stars
11/11/2012
New Favorite Acorn Squash Recipe! This is a delicious recipe! My entire family enjoyed it! I made it with plain ground turkey and a dash of liquid smoke and I think it would be great with any kind of ground meat or sausage you have on hand. Next time I will try it with ground beef. I also substituted canned diced tomatoes and cheddar cheese. I'm not a huge squash fan but this recipe will have me looking forward to squash season from now on! YUM! Pros: Delicious Nutritious Simple Pretty Cons: Turkey sausage is not a staple in our house. Read More
Paula Cross
Rating: 5 stars
10/16/2012
Awesome recipe that my family loves I generally follow the recipe although I add a bit more spice to it because I use my homemade spicy turkey breakfast sausage meat instead of plain ground turkey. I also double the meat (which we use as chili the next day with some cooked macaroni noodles. I also like to add a bit of fresh corn to the vegetables to add a bit more color. Pros: really tastes delicious Cons: a little bit of work to make this one Read More
EatingWell User
Rating: 5 stars
10/15/2012
Substitutions and meal are easy and delicious This was OUTSTANDING. To quote my husband this meal is filling and tastes like it is really bad for. In other words he loved it. Substitutions: I don't like to use sausage so I got 1 lb 95% fat free ground turkey and added hot and spicy taco flavoring to it. I used 6 oz for the recipe and put the rest away. I still added all the spices EXCEPT the hot sauce. I also added chopped black olives with jalapenos. I added guac and spicy salsa (both store bought) for serving. We will definitely be making this again Pros: fast inexpensive delicious gluten-free Cons: acorn squash are hard to cut in half when raw Read More
EatingWell User
Rating: 5 stars
09/18/2012
Perfect Fall Meal I made this for a group of 8 women for our fall supper club. It made for a beautiful presentation! I did some with and some without the ground turkey. Tasted great both ways. I added a little store-made fresh salsa and some freshly chopped cilantro. I used shredded pepper jack cheese mixed with a bit of cheddar. I served with sides of guacamole and salsa and a nice salad. What a fantastic meal!!! Pros: Luscious fall meal. Even good left over. Cons: Not a super quick meal. Read More
EatingWell User
Rating: 5 stars
09/17/2012
Surprisingly Delicious! I must say I was skeptical given the combination of ingredients but my coworker said I needed to try it. I made it for my family and we love this dish! Even my husband who doesn't even like squash loves this dish! We make it regularly in the fall! Pros: A great fall dish! Cons: Takes a little bit of time to prepare and bake! Read More
EatingWell User
Rating: 5 stars
12/21/2011
Awesome Recipe This is probably the best go-to recipe for fall cooking. Simple to put together for the most part pretty nutritious and incredible tasty. I've made this for 5 or 6 different groups of people and they all look at me like they've discovered some treasure after the first bite. And it's a recipe that gives you some options if you like to ad lib here and there. Pros: Easy to Make Simple Prep Cons: None that I can think of Read More
emmy
Rating: 5 stars
12/07/2011
It's a keeper! This was a hit for my husband and me. I had two acorn squashes on the counter and no recipe. This was so easy to make and I had all of the ingredients on hand except for the turkey sausage. I couldn't find turkey sausage at our local store so instead I used that pre-cooked smoked turkey sausage links. This added a nice flavor to the dish. My husband wanted seconds!!! And I had the fourth - for two days of lunch. This recipe is filling and awesome! Pros: easy delicious fiber full affordable Read More
paula.por42@gmail.com
Rating: 5 stars
12/01/2011
Great Fall Dinner My husband loves this meal! Its one of his favorites! Its such a great way to cook the squash! Its so easy and the presentation is great! Pros: Easy Read More
EatingWell User
Rating: 5 stars
11/28/2011
Great way to eat any winter squash Great recipe. I didn't have any fresh tomatos on hand so i used 1 cup of stewed tomatos. It was great!! Didn't use the hot sauce but thinking next time maybe some jalepenos. Pros: easy basically ready in an hour Read More
EatingWell User
Rating: 5 stars
10/31/2011
Absolutely the best... entire family loved it. Read More
EatingWell User
Rating: 5 stars
10/31/2011
This recipe is so easy and SO delicious. One of my all-time favorites now. Perfect for a crisp fall evening. Read More
EatingWell User
Rating: 5 stars
10/30/2011
We adore this recipe especially with carnival squash (a very tasty variety similar to acorn). Read More
EatingWell User
Rating: 5 stars
10/30/2011
My hubby loves this dish - he already mentioned a couple of days ago that he can't wait to have it again this fall. Read More
EatingWell User
Rating: 5 stars
10/30/2011
I have made this dish many times and everyone loves it. I always use Cabot pepper jack cheese instead of the Swiss. Really good! Read More
Marcia
Rating: 5 stars
10/30/2011
This is a favorite. Easy to put together with pantry ingredients and delicious. We frequently leave out the sausage with outstanding results. Read More
EatingWell User
Rating: 5 stars
10/30/2011
This is one of my absolute favorite recipes for fall/winter. It's flavorful and very filling. My boyfriend was never a big squash eater & he loved it as well - one smallish squash was enough for both of us (and he's a pretty big guy). I had some extra filling so I used it to stuff a roasted poblano pepper - wonderful! Read More
EatingWell User
Rating: 5 stars
10/30/2011
Sooo good! I also used carnival squash. I added different spices (curry lemongrass and marash pepper) instead of the chili powder and cumin and it was delicious. I also added a few more chopped veggies instead of sausage to the mixture and some Harvest Grains from Trader Joe's and have another dish later in the week to heat up for a quick after work meal. Read More
EatingWell User
Rating: 5 stars
10/30/2011
My husband and I loved this dish. It was warm and cozy and flavorful... perfect for a cold fall night. I made a couple of changes to the recipe to fit our tastes and lifestyle. First I used "veggie" sausage instead of chicken sausage because my husband does not eat meat. (I cooked the onions peppers and garlic before I added the sausage.) Second I added 1/2 a jalapeno pepper some cilantro to the stuffing as well. Also I stuffed two halves of acorn squash with the stuffing as well as two large poblano peppers. I roasted them together and ate the poblanos with tortillas. Delicious! Read More
EatingWell User
Rating: 5 stars
10/30/2011
These are great! I used 2 cans of RoTel tomatoes instead of fresh omitted the salt added a can of green chiles omitted the hot sauce (plenty of heat from the previous ingredients) and used pepper-jack cheese instead of swiss. My husband who insists he does not like squash even said these were great. Really nice fall meal. Read More
kelley.borer@gmail.com
Rating: 5 stars
10/30/2011
This was an EXCELLENT dish! I won my friends over with this recipe and it was so easy to make. It was incredibly full of flavor and a satisfying meal. Will definitely be preparing this again! Read More
jrroraba
Rating: 5 stars
10/30/2011
I made this for my parents and they thought it was great. I will definately make this again. It was a great mixture of flavors. Read More
EatingWell User
Rating: 5 stars
10/30/2011
Made as directed with a few subs: used only 2 squash used veggie meat and a mix of homemade canned heirlooms chopped and store-bought pico de gallo. Also a mixed low fat mexican cheese blend. No hot sauce due to 4 yr old but adults added salsa to theirs. Was delish and my 4 yr old gobbled it up. Read More
ftoor@yahoo.com
Rating: 5 stars
10/30/2011
Wow it was great. And a great way to get your daily veggies. When I was prepping it the meal did not look that filling but half a squash later I was full. A tasty treat indeed. And if you have left over filling it work great as a filler for a tortilla for the next day. Will make again!! Read More
carynrybs
Rating: 5 stars
10/30/2011
Super easy and really tasty. Nice treat for lunch. Read More
sue
Rating: 5 stars
10/30/2011
I could not find turkey sausage so I used chicken sausage. Very easy to make and delicious! I will make it again. Read More
EatingWell User
Rating: 5 stars
10/29/2011
This was really good. I didn't have any sausage so I cooked up some bulgur wheat with chicken stock and used that in the stuffing. This will definitely be added to the fall repertoire! Read More
EatingWell User
Rating: 5 stars
10/29/2011
I have made this recipe at least once a month (in the fall/winter) for the past 3 years. I always buy 2 delicato squash and use 1/2 lb of turkey or pork sausage. LOVE IT! My hubby "hates" squash but requests this regularly. Read More
EatingWell User
Rating: 5 stars
10/29/2011
We regularly eat this meal in the fall. I often substitute low-sodium canned diced tomatoes (partly drained) for fresh to cut down on the prep time. I also often add various medium to hot peppers depending on what's available at the farmer's market. And a little cheddar works fine in place of swiss. This recipe really lends itself to using whatever is on hand! Read More
roscoe.kimberly@gmail.com
Rating: 5 stars
10/29/2011
A Family Favorite So yummy and colorful!! I too have used chicken sausage instead at times. We always add some Cayenne for an extra kick. We recently tried the White Bean stuffed acorn squash from Eating Well similar very yummy and different nutrients to change it up! Read More
rachelfenner@gmail.com
Rating: 5 stars
10/29/2011
Great even for picky eaters! I absolutely loved this recipe! I made it for my whole family and even the picky eaters loved it. Even had second helpings of the filling. I made this a few months ago and have been craving it again for some time now. Can't wait to make it again. Pros: everything Cons: kind of expensive if you don't have all the ingredients Read More
MJ
Rating: 4 stars
10/29/2011
This was a tasty dish and will use it again I liked the suffing alot it tasted amazing I also like acorn squash but didnt like them together. It just didnt taste like a good combination to me. However I did have leftover and used it over rice it was awesome so I encourage using this stuffing in other ways. Im gonna try this over fish. Pros: easy to make Cons: takes a bit of time Read More
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