Stuffed Acorn Squash Recipe with Ground Turkey
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Jump to RecipeThis stuffed acorn squash with ground turkey recipe is a delicious and fun twist on a holiday meal. A delicious and hearty dinner that is a fall favorite.
A great and tasty alternative to a full turkey dinner, serve with a bright fresh salad and a side of roasted veggies!
Here is one of the best keto acorn squash recipes to enjoy this fall! This stuffed acorn squash with ground turkey can also be made with ground turkey, and is a great recipe for Thanksgiving leftovers. This recipe inspiration for this came from my dad who made a version with stuffed sausage. I opted for a leaner ground turkey, and this came out so fantastic! Both Brett and I gave it a A+!
This Stuffed Acorn Squash with Ground Turkey recipe is:
- Warming
- Satisfying
- Earthy
- Fresh
- Hearty
- Gluten free and dairy free
- A great to use leftover turkey from Thanksgiving!
Meal Prep Recipes For the Win!
This stuffed acorn squash with ground turkey is the perfect recipe for easy homemade meal prep. I am a huge fan of meal prepping, batch cooking, and making recipes ahead. I love the convenience of cooking once and being able to enjoy homemade meals during the week when I don’t have time.
There’s a whole section of TheHerbeevore.com dedicated to my favorite tried & true meal prep recipes. With just a little planning and prep, you can have a week’s worth of recipes ready in the time it would take to make one portion. Just batch cook, divide into individual containers, and place in the fridge for later! Easy peasy.
What’s In This Turkey-Stuffed Acorn Squash?
Be sure to visit the recipe card below for full ingredient amounts and recipe instructions!
- Turkey: I used ground turkey but you can also use cooked turkey that is leftover from Thanksgiving. Just make sure to finely chop it first.
- Acorn Squash: we got ours from a farm down the street, it’s one of my favorite fall squashes!
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Carrots
- Celery
- Onion
- Garlic
- Garlic Salt: because you can’t have too much garlic! I love garlic salt, and use it in most of my recipes instead of regular salt.
- Ground Sage: a fall spice staple must-have. I use this ground sage.
- Black Pepper: We use black tellicherry peppercorns which give everything a fresh and spicy flavor.
- Parmesan cheese: or a dairy free alternative nutritional yeast!
How Do I Make This Stuffed Acorn Squash Recipe with Ground Turkey?
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Halve the acorn squash carefully, and scoop out the seeds (save them for roasting, yum!) and place the empty acorn squash halves on a sheet pan. Roast the squash for about 40 to 50 minutes until it is fork tender.
- Meanwhile, in a large pot, brown the turkey meat for 8 to 10 minutes until it is cooked all the way through, with no pink showing. Drain great. (Skip this step if the turkey is already cooked). Remove meat from pan, and set aside in a bowl.
- To the same pot, add the olive oil, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, garlic salt, ground sage, and black pepper. Saute on low heat for about 7 or 8 minutes until the veggies have begin to soften. Add the cooked turkey to the pot, and cook over low heat until mixture is well-combined and hot.
- Remove acorn squash from the oven, and carefully fill each squash with 1/4 of the cooked turkey mixture. Place the stuffed squash back in the oven for 15 minutes to heat.
- Remove from oven and top with parmesan cheese (or alternative) and a little extra ground black pepper. Mangia!
Other Recipes with Thanksgiving Leftovers You’ll Love!
DA’s Baked Au Gratin Potatoes (Vegetarian, Family Recipe)
Turkey Butternut Squash Chili (Paleo, Whole30, Keto, 21 Day Fix)
Creamy Baked Carrots with Garlic (Vegetarian, Vegan & GF Options)
Spiced Cranberry Sauce with Orange and Ginger (Vegan, Gluten Free, Slow Cooker)
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Ground Turkey Stuffed Acorn Squash
Ingredients
- 2 acorn squash halved and seeds removed
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 3 carrots chopped
- 3 celery stalks chopped
- 1 sweet onion chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground sage
- 1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper
- Nutritional Yeast
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Halve the acorn squash carefully, and scoop out the seeds (save them for roasting, yum!) and place the empty acorn squash halves on a sheet pan, cut-side up. Roast the squash for about 40 to 50 minutes until it is fork tender.
- Meanwhile, in a large cast iron skillet brown the ground turkey over medium heat, cook for 8-10 minutes until the ground turkey shows no pink. Remove ground turkey using a slotted spoon, and set aside on a seperate plate. Leave the turkey drippings in the pan for the next step.
- To the skillet add the olive oil, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, garlic salt, ground sage, and black pepper. Saute on low heat for about 7 or 8 minutes until the veggies have begin to soften. Add the cooked turkey to the pot, and cook over low heat until mixture is well-combined and hot.
- Remove acorn squash from the oven, and carefully fill each squash with 1/4 of the cooked turkey mixture. Place the stuffed squash back in the oven for 15 minutes to heat.
- Remove from oven and top with nutritional yeast (if desired), salt and a little extra ground black pepper. Mangia!
Nutrition
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Hi. Planning to try this today. I see nutritional yeast on the ingredients list but not in the instructions. Should it be added to the olive oil mixture? Also, do I roast the squash face up or down? Thanks!
Hi Suzanne,
I like to roast the squash face-up, I have best results doing it that way. The nutritional yeast is optional, as a garnish… I love the flavor with the ground turkey, but optional if you have it! And thanks for letting me know – I added the edits to the recipe.
A delicious idea for turkey