Eat seasonally with this savory fall/winter recipe with roasted stuffed acorn squash, sweet Italian sausage, spinach, garlic, onion, and dried cranberries.
This post is all about sausage stuffed acorn squash.
Table of Contents
Eating in Season
We try to eat in season for a number of reasons.
What does it mean to eat seasonally?
Eating seasonally is a more sustainable approach to food. It encourages a person to eat fruit and vegetables that are in season in a given geographical area. For example tomatoes are in season during the summer in New Jersey. They grow from late spring to early fall. Tomatoes aren’t eaten in the winter. Tomatoes available in the winter come from far away. When they are grown out of season they are very dull in color (almost white on the inside), and just taste gross.
Acorn squash is considered a winter squash. However they grow during the summer time. Acorn squash are called winter squash because they have a hard rind. The rind allows for storage for long periods of time. When stored properly, they can last from summer until the following spring.
Why Should You Eat Seasonally?
Here are some of the reasons why we eat seasonally and why you should consider it as well:
- The food just tastes better! Nothing tastes better than tomatoes grown in-season and ripened naturally. Tomatoes are usually a vibrant red, extremely juicy, have a phenomenal taste, and should be soft. They shouldn’t be pale on the inside. If they’re pale on the inside or even white, that means the tomato is not ripe. Unripe tomatoes are hard and are just plain gross.
- The price is lower. Produce purchased in season is more abundant and cheaper. Produce purchased out of season is always more expensive. Start comparing prices when you purchase produce like tomatoes in the summer versus the winter.
- It’s better for the environment. Buying from a local farm is less travel for the food. Your food didn’t travel far across the country and had a short trip to the store. This ultimately has an environmental impact by reducing fuel emissions and transportation costs. By buying locally you’re supporting local farmers and the local economy.
- It encourages a variety of fruits and vegetables in your diet and you’re not eating the same food year long.
- There’s better nutrition. Produce eaten in-season is more nutrient dense than food grown out of season.
How to Start Eating Seasonally
- Research what is in season according to your geographical location and buy only those items at the grocery store. We’re familiar with what’s eat in the summer (zucchini, tomatoes, eggplant, etc), but what about the other seasons?
- Conduct a Google search and find out where your local farmers are. Once you’ve located them, visit their farmer’s market.
- Look into Community Supported Agriculture, or CSA. It’s a monthly or yearly subscription program with your local farmer(s). The farmer(s) provide a weekly or monthly box of produce.
- Check out different recipes based on the season by doing a search like “fall recipes”.
This stuffed acorn squash recipe is also a great start because it’s still in season.
The Recipe
Tools You’ll Need
- Cutting board
- Knife
- Baking sheet
- Frying Pan
- Fork or potato masher
Sausage Stuffed Acorn Squash
Ingredients
- 2 medium sized acorn squash
- 1 medium onion (diced)
- 1 pound of sweet Italian pork sausage
- 3 -4 cloves of garlic (diced)
- frozen spinach
- dried cranberries
- ½ cup Grated Parmigiano Reggiano, plus additional grating (optional) for topping
- Olive oil
- dried oregano
- fennel seeds
- paprika
- salt
- pepper
Directions
- Heat the oven up to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- While the oven is heating, on a cutting board carefully cut off the top and bottom of the acorn squash. This will allow for a flat bottom while it roasts in the oven. Next cut the acorn squash horizontally.
- Scoop out the seeds and pulp from the acorn squash.
- Place the acorn squash on the baking sheet with the cavity facing up. To help with clean up afterwards, I place the acorn squash on a silicone baking mat.
- In the cavity of the acorn squash, drizzle in olive oil. Spread the olive oil all over the inside of the cavity and on the fleshy rim of the squash. Then turn over the squash with the cut part facing down.
- Once the oven is up to the proper temperature, place the baking sheet in the oven for 30 minutes.
- While the acorn squash is roasting in the oven, remove the sausages from their package. Cut up the sausage into small pieces (¼ inch width) and then place it in a bowl. Mash up the pieces with a fork or potato masher.
- After mashing up the sausage, mix in the grated Parmigiano Reggiano. Then place your frying pan on medium heat. Begin to brown the sausage. Season the sausage with fennel, paprika, black pepper, salt, and oregano.
- When the sausage has slightly brown, put olive oil in the pan and then put in the diced onions and garlic. Cook until the onions are translucent.
- Add the frozen spinach into the pan. Cook until the spinach has softened and is cooked. Add in the dried cranberries.
- Once the acorn squash has roasted, take it out of the oven. The squash should be either soft or almost soft. Flip the squash over and scoop in the cooked mixture from the frying pan into the cavity. The filling should completely fit into all four pieces of squash.
- Place squash back into the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for another 10 to 20 minutes.
- After the squash has finished cooking in the oven, serve hot and top with Parmigiano Reggiano, if
- desired.
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Enjoy and bon appetit!
This post was all about sausage stuffed acorn squash.
