Stuffed Acorn Squash
Stuffed Acorn Squash is a Holliday favorite for any family or friend gathering. We take this beautiful Winter squash and stuff it with onion, cheese, bacon and breadcrumbs to give you a wonderful side dish that just tastes like the Holidays
Winter squash is really so versatile, you can go from just roasting it to filling its cavities with some delicious and complimentary additions. This recipe is the perfect way to get you on your way to developing even more delicious options.
Thanksgiving and Christmas are the perfect time to let Winter squashes shine. Acorn squash is in such rich supply it is the perfect package for a great side dish. We fill it with savory fillings that compliment the sweetness of the squash beautifully.
How to Prepare Acorn Squash
My famous little trick to making winter squash easier to cut can be found in our recipe for ROASTED SPAGHETTI SQUASH as well as our recipe for SPAGHETTI SQUASH GRATIN.
While the types of squash are different, I use the same technique to make all winter squash a bit easier to cut. Simply put, I place the squash in the microwave for 2-4 minutes depending on the size, remove them carefully with an oven mitt, allow them to cool and then my knife just slides right through.
You can even use this technique with cumbersome butternut squash. While you do, be sure to make this BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP.
How to Make Stuffed Acorn Squash
Like many other Buttered Home recipes, this is a great little recipe to get you going. My challenge is and always will be to make this recipe your own. Try it this way and get your wheels turning.
The full ingredient list and quantities are listed at the bottom of this post on a printable recipe card.
- Olive Oil
- Salt and Pepper
- Bacon
- Green Onion
- Garlic
- Bacon
- Thyme
- Sage
- Panko Bread Crumbs
- Acorn Squash
- Cheese
Let’s Assemble and Cook
This is an easy way to prepare this squash. You can prep some ingredients ahead of time. I normally cook my bacon ahead and even the onion, garlic and seasoning too since they cook in the bacon grease. This recipe can easily be doubled to feed more people as well.
Cook bacon and set aside to drain and cool. Crumble when cool enough to handle
In the same pan with bacon drippings, cook the green onion until softened. Add the garlic, sage and thyme and a bit of salt and pepper. Cook just a minute so the garlic can become fragrant but not burnt. Remove from heat and allow to cool a bit.
When the onion mixture cools a bit, transfer to a large mixing bowl. Add in Panko bread crumbs and bacon. Mix well.
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We use two types of cheese and add both of them in. For this recipe, we used shredded cheddar and mozzarella.
We place the cut and seeded acorn squash halves in a lightly greased casserole dish and sprinkle a bit more salt and pepper on each half.
We then drizzle a bit of olive oil around the edges of each half.
We fill the cavity of each half with all of the stuffing, pressing down to pack it in tightly. Then carefully turn them over, stuffing side down to cook. Bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour. Checking every 20 minutes. If they seem to be burning, you can put a bit of water in the bottom to prevent sticking during the cooking process.
Frequently asked Questions
Place squash in the microwave for 2-4 minutes depending on the size. Carefully remove with an oven mitt and allow to cool. The squash should be much easier to cut and deseed. This method can be used with any winter squash that has the thick skin.
A clean squash is a good one. Don’t let the thick skin deceive you. Carefully rub the squash under lukewarm water and rinse well.
For this recipe, no. Truthfully, I never do. The skin, where most of the nutrients are, is edible and when cooked, actually quite good. Be sure to remove the woody stem and its base before cooking because it is quite tough.
You certainly can. Sometimes, I will cut out the flesh and roast it as a side dish. Leaving some on the skin and roast it in the oven as well at 400 degrees with a little avocado oil, salt and pepper. It really makes the best sweet squash chips.
For me, this is a Holiday or winter dish. I love serving it with Turkey or Ham for special occasions. But listed below are some options for Holidays or even a weeknight!
Share the Love of Cooking with this Acorn Squash Recipe
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Stuffed Acorn Squash
Ingredients
- 1 Acorn Squash cleaned, halved and seeded
- 2 slices Bacon Cooked, drained and chopped
- 1 tsp Salt divided
- 1 tsp Pepper divided
- 3 tbsp Olive Oil
- 2 tbsp Garlic minced
- 1 tsp Ground Sage
- 1 tsp Ground Thyme
- 1 Green Onion Sliced
- 1.5 cups Panko Bread Crumbs
- 1/2 cup Mozzarella Shredded
- 1/2 cup Cheddar Shredded
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cook bacon, drain, cool and chop. Wash, carefully cut and deseed the Acorn Squash.
- In the same skilled with the bacon grease, cook green onion until soft. Add garlic, sage, thyme and half of the salt and pepper. Cook one minute more just to soften garlic.
- In a large bowl, combine the onion mixture, panko, bacon and cheeses. Mix well. Place both halves of squash into a baking dish. Drizzle olive oil around edges of each half. Sprinkle with remainder of salt and pepper.
- Fill each cavity of the squash with half of the cheese and bacon mixture, pressing down firmly to pack inside well. Flip over filled side down in baking dish.
- Bake for 45 to 60 minutes, checking often. If it seems like it is starting to burn, add a bit of water to the bottom of the pan to prevent sticking. Or you can lower heat until squash becomes soft.
- Cool, slice and serve.
