Turkey Stuffed Acorn Squash With Cranberries And Pecans
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Looking for a dish that represents all the best flavors of fall and winter? Look no further, this Turkey Stuffed Acorn Squash with Cranberries and Pecans is incredible.
Bringing together turkey, dried cranberries, pecans, mozzarella, and acorn squash, this recipe is a must when it comes to holiday cooking. A perfect one-dish dinner recipe, this Turkey Stuffed Acorn Squash with Cranberries and Pecans is festive, delicious, and healthy. You can’t beat that! It has great color and looks stunning with all the ingredients combined in half an acorn squash.
For many home cooks, acorn squash can be a puzzling ingredient – aside from roasting in cubes, what can you do with it? This recipe provides the answer! If you have never tried stuffing an acorn squash before, this is your chance to try something new and delicious.
This recipe for Turkey Stuffed Acorn Squash with Cranberries and Pecans is a perfect way to serve up those gorgeous fall squash that you have been dying to try. The preparation is quite easy, then the oven does most of the work.
Start by preheating the oven and lining a baking sheet with parchment. Cut each acorn squash in half, scoop out the seeds, and remove the stem. Put the squash on a baking sheet, cut sides up and brush with a tablespoon olive oil. Bake the acorn squash for forty minutes until it is tender. While the squash cooks, make the stuffing. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil then add in onion and cook, stirring occasionally. Add in ground turkey, salt, and pepper. Cook until the turkey is thoroughly cooked before adding the pecans, cranberries, and mozzarella to combine. If you like a sweet squash, sprinkle some brown sugar before you add the stuffing. Remove the acorn squash from the oven and add the turkey filling to the halves. To finish off your Turkey Stuffed Acorn Squash with Cranberries and Pecans, sprinkle the remaining mozzarella cheese on top before returning the baking sheets to the oven for an additional ten minutes.
This Turkey Stuffed Acorn Squash with Cranberries and Pecans is one of my favorite fall recipes. It is full of flavor, looks impressive, and tastes amazing. It makes a great holiday side dish that is festive and is sure to impress any dinner guest! Best of all, it is healthy in addition to delicious! Click to view all my squash recipes.
Also, check out these amazing holiday recipes:
Turkey Stuffed Acorn Squash With Cranberries And Pecans
Ingredients
- 2 acorn squash
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 1 onion chopped
- 2 tbsp olive oil divided
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries
- 1/2 cup pecans
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese divided
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
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Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Cut acorn squashes in half. Scoop out the seeds and remove the stems.
- Put acorn squash halves on a baking sheet cut side up and brush with 1 tbsp olive oil.
- Bake acorn squash for 40 minutes, or until tender.
- While the squash is baking, make the stuffing. Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add ground turkey, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes, or until the turkey is cooked through. Add pecans, cranberries and 3/4 cup of shredded mozzarella and mix to combine.
- Add the turkey filling to acorn squash halves. Sprinkle remaining mozzarella cheese on top. Return to the oven and bake for 10 minutes.
Notes
Nutrition
If you like this turkey stuffed acorn squash, you will also love these easy recipes:
- Instant Pot Acorn Squash – if you own an Instant Pot, you can save some time by cooking acorn squash halves in the Instant Pot, then stuffing it with turkey and finishing in the oven!
- Turkey Stuffed Zucchini – use hollowed-out zucchini halves instead of acorn squash for another awesome take on this recipe!
- Baby Spinach Salad With Cranberries, Candied Pecans, Oranges, Avocado and Feta – this salad is so festive and colorful, I make it for every Thanksgiving!
- Foolproof Turkey Recipe In A Brown Paper Bag – this is THE only way I’ll ever make Thanksgiving turkey! That’s a truly no-fail method!
- Easy Golden Fluffy Cornbread – super easy from-scratch cornbread, yum!
Browse all my Thanksgiving recipes >>