Stuffed Acorn Squash

This delicious roasted acorn squash recipe is stuffed with all your favorite fall ingredients! These are AIP, Paleo & Top 8 friendly.

This tasty recipe first roasts acorn squash before stuffing with ground bison, carrot, spinach, garlic, onion and various seasonings. The cranberry sauce lends a balancing sweet taste to many of the already savory ingredients. This is a perfect addition to any fall gathering or is a great excuse to use up leftover cranberry sauce from Thanksgiving! 

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Tips & Tricks
• Recipe

Ingredients

Stuffed Acorn Squash

• 2 acorn squash
• 1 lb bison meat
• Shredded carrot
• Spinach
• Garlic
• Green Onion
• Olive oil
• Parsley
• Marjoram
• Oregano
• Thyme
• Salt

Cranberry Sauce

• 12 oz cranberries
• Maple syrup
• Water
• Orange juice and zest
• Cinnamon
• Salt
• Ground ginger
• Turmeric

See recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. Cut squash in half and scoop out seeds. Brush the inside cavity of each half with olive oil and salt to taste. Bake skin side down for 45-60 minutes.
3. While squash is roasting, wash the cranberries and discard any soft ones. In a large saucepan add the water, maple syrup, orange juice, zest, salt, cinnamon, ginger and turmeric. Bring to a boil then reduce to a steady simmer for 5 minutes.
4. Add the cranberries and simmer for an additional 12-15 minutes. The cranberries will burst and thicken the sauce.
5. Remove the sauce from heat and mash with a fork or spoon. Transfer to a storage container with a tight lid. Chill in the refrigerator for 30+ minutes before serving.
6. When squash is 15 minutes out from being done, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high in a large skillet.
7. Add ground beef and brown for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
8. Add carrot and seasonings, cook for another 5 minutes.
9. Add garlic and saute until fragrant (~30 seconds) then add spinach and green onion. Cook until spinach is wilted (~2-3 minutes.)
10. When squash is done roasting, stuff with meat ingredients and top with cranberry sauce.

Tips & Tricks

1. Bison and beef are interchangeable in this recipe.
2. When picking out an acorn squash, get one that is mostly green or white with only a little bit of orange.
3. The cranberries will burst and perfectly thicken the sauce while cooking.
4. Make sure to not overcook the sauce (12-15 min max) otherwise it will not set correctly.
5. Chill the sauce before serving for at least 30 minutes.

Recipe