Bison stuffed acorn squash is savory, healthy, and comforting all throughout fall and winter. Tender roasted acorn squash topped with bison, tomatoes, peppers and onion, and spiced with herbs of rosemary and thyme, creates a wonderful fall flavor bomb. Serve this up for Thanksgiving or any special occasion for a delicious meal that warms the heart.
Savory bison stuffed acorn squash is a hearty and delicious meal that makes for excellent comfort food recipe for fall and winter time. Simply roast an acorn squash and stuff it with ground bison (or any meat) and veggies. Top with fall spices for a delicious and cozy meal.
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WHY WE LOVE THIS RECIPE
I knew this would be a bloggable recipe when my husband took one bite and said “yep. It’s good.” Thank goodness for that!
I’m always trying to come up with new recipes. Since I cook breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day at our homestead it can be a challenge to find the time and energy to make new things. I just love our staples so much!
Actually, I have the ideas for new recipes, I just don’t have the time right now to try them. Now that I have a toddler baby girl, I like to spend my day mostly with her, which I can’t complain about! But, I don’t get to spend as much time “putzing” in the kitchen as I used to. So I have to be extra efficient and diligent when I do get those peaceful, quiet kitchen moments.
This roasted acorn squash recipe became one of my favorites when I realized how easy it was to make. Of course, anything you do for the first time feels difficult. But once you get the hang of roasting a squash and stuffing it, the process becomes second nature. You could make so many variations of this recipe if you wanted, and I love that.
A FEW MORE REASONS WE LOVE THIS RECIPE
– You don’t have to peel the squash. Simply chop, drizzle with seasoning, and roast. It’s super easy!
– Acorn squash is beautiful! It looks like a flower that you can eat. Perfect for impressing family members for special occasions and holidays.
– Acorn squash is easy to digest and loaded with health benefits.
– Perfect as a Thanksgiving recipe or holiday side dish. The warm and cozy flavors of acorn squash make it a staple all season long.
– Easy to cut and doesn’t require much seed removal. Compared to butternut squash or pumpkin, this one is a lot easier to work with, making it quicker when it comes to total meal prep time.
HEALTH BENEFITS OF ACORN SQUASH
Once again, Mother Nature serves us up a very fine and healthy meal when she delivers acorn squash.
It’s amazing what you can get from the ground. While we are so used to food coming in packages, bags, or boxes, sometimes it feels good to pull something out of the dirt and just eat it. Acorn squash is a perfect example of that. Why mess with food when it already has so many benefits after harvest?
Acorn squash is high in antioxidants, which can help protect agains health issues like arthritis, heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, and certain cancers. It’s also good for eye health (a 1/2 cup of cooked acorn squash contains 9% of your daily dose of vitamin A!).
Acorn squash is also good for your skin because it contains beta-carotene along with other nutrients that can protect the skin from sun damage and related cancers.
Read more about acorn squash health benefits from WebMd.
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TOOLS NEEDED
Large chopping knife
Baking dish with parchment paper
Food brush (optional)
SAVORY BISON STUFFED ACORN SQUASH INGREDIENTS
1 pound ground bison
2 acorn squash, cut in half with seeds removed
Avocado oil
1 small onion or 1/2 large onion, chopped
1 cup chopped bell peppers
2 medium size tomatoes
1/4 cup homemade bone broth
1 tsp salt
Pepper to taste
2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried rosemary
Optional: Kinder’s “The Blend” seasoning (this is always our favorite, just add a little drizzle on top!)
Shredded cheese (to top)
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THE PROCESS
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Cut the acorn squash in half and remove the seeds.
Use a pastry brush to drizzle the inside of the acorn squash with avocado oil and season generously with salt and pepper.
Roast in the oven on parchment-lined baking trays for 20-30 minutes, until cooked through and tender.
Meanwhile, brown the ground bison in a cast iron on medium-high heat.
Chop the onion, bell peppers, and tomatoes.
When the meat is browned, remove from the cast iron and set aside in a bowl.
Turn the cast iron down to medium and drizzle with avocado oil. Scrape up the meat bits leftover. Then sauté the onion, peppers, and tomatoes for about 5 minutes.
Next add the meat back in the pan and 1/4 cup bone broth, or more if the veggies and meat seem really dry. Stir.
Season with salt, fresh pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, thyme and rosemary. I also like to add my favorite Kinder’s “the blend” seasoning here. Just drizzle a little on top for a delicious seasoned flavor!
Remove the acorn squash from the oven and set on a plate. Use a large spoon or ladle to fill the acorn squash halves with the meat mixture.
Shred some cheddar cheese on top and enjoy!!
FAQ
How do you cut an acorn squash for roasting?
One of the reasons I love acorn squash is because of how easy it is to cut. Simply take a sharp knife and slice it down the middle, either direction. You can slice through the center or through the stem; either way will work. Then I like to drizzle with avocado oil, salt, and pepper, and roast it at about 400 degrees F for 20-30 minutes until tender. Stuff it with your choice of meat and vegetables for a delicious, and beautiful, fall meal.
What does acorn squash pair well with?
Since acorn squash is a vegetable, try pairing it with your favorite meat and/or carbohydrate. Here are some pairing ides for acorn squash:
- Cast iron steaks with rice in the Instant pot
- Homemade meatballs and einkorn pasta
- Acorn Squash salad (sub for butternut squash in my Butternut Squash Salad recipe)
- Spiced acorn squash tacos (sub for butternut squash in my Butternut Squash Tacos recipe)
- Chop the acorn squash and serve it on top of sourdough pizza
- Roasted pork shoulder (you could even cook the acorn squash directly with the pork in this one!)
What can I do with a pound of ground bison?
Ground bison, or any meat for that matter, can be turned into so many delicious meals. One of the best things about ground meat is it’s so EASY to make it. Just throw it on the cast iron skillet and cook away. Here are some of our favorite easy healthy ground bison recipes:
- Pasta, of course, with homemade tomato sauce
- Tacos – add spices and use up extra squash with this butternut squash taco recipe
- Stuffed inside roasted acorn squash, butternut squash, or sweet potatoes
- Make it into bison burgers with this easy homemade burger patty recipe
- Make it into meatballs and throw it in a soup, like roasted butternut squash soup
- Chili. Try it in traditional tomato and bean chili or get festive with this pumpkin chili recipe
What seasoning is good on bison?
Go for the savory herbs and spices when seasoning bison. Try rosemary, thyme, sage, and of course lots of salt and pepper. Bison also pairs well with tomatoes, onion, garlic, and many root vegetables. Bison is a very versatile meat that can go well with a multitude of flavors!
I know I say this a lot but Kinder’s “the blend” seasoning is a huge favorite in our household. It just goes well on EV.ERY.THING! From breakfast to dinner time I’m constantly using this seasoning. We buy it from Costco but Amazon sells it too.
MORE HEALTHY FALL RECIPES FROM THE HOMESTEAD
Creamy Chicken and Rice Soup with Bone Broth
Sourdough Pizza with Chicken and Veggies
Savory Bison Stuffed Acorn Squash
Roasted acorn squash stuffed with spiced ground bison and savory veggies is the perfect main dish on a cold fall or winter evening.
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground bison
- 2 acorn squash, cut in half with seeds removed
- Avocado oil
- 1 small onion or 1/2 large onion, chopped
- 1 cup chopped bell peppers
- 2 medium size tomatoes
- 1/4 cup homemade bone broth
- 1 tsp salt
- Pepper to taste
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp dried rosemary
- Optional: Kinder’s “The Blend” seasoning (this is always our favorite, just add a little drizzle on top!)
- Shredded cheese (to top)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Cut the acorn squash in half and remove the seeds.
- Use a pastry brush to drizzle the inside of the acorn squash with avocado oil and season generously with salt and pepper.
- Roast in the oven on parchment-lined baking trays for 20-30 minutes, until cooked through and tender.
- Meanwhile, brown the ground bison in a cast iron on medium-high heat.
- Chop the onion, bell peppers, and tomatoes.
- When the meat is browned, remove from the cast iron and set aside in a bowl.
- Turn the cast iron down to medium and drizzle with avocado oil. Scrape up the meat bits leftover. Then sauté the onion, peppers, and tomatoes for about 5 minutes.
- Next add the meat back in the pan and 1/4 cup bone broth, or more if the veggies and meat seem really dry. Stir.
- Season with salt, fresh pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, thyme and rosemary. I also like to add my favorite Kinder’s “the blend” seasoning here. Just drizzle a little on top for a delicious seasoned flavor!
- Remove the acorn squash from the oven and set on a plate. Use a large spoon or ladle to fill the acorn squash halves with the meat mixture.
- Shred some cheddar cheese on top and enjoy!!
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