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Every time I walk past the seasonal squash display in the produce section I have to grab a couple of something. Until I cooked up this Stuffed Acorn Squash recipe a couple of weeks ago my counter was filled with a family of acorn squash, delicata squash and old reliable, spaghetti squash. It’s a good thing they have a pretty decent counter life because I’ve been more of a collector than a cooker lately so it took some time to finally getting around to baking them up.

I knew exactly what I wanted to do with the acorn squash though. I have prepared Stuffed Acorn Squash before and I absolutely love it. This stuffing is filled with crumbled Italian chicken sausage, kale, walnuts and grated Parmesan cheese – so simple and so delicious when you scoop up a bite with the sweet squash. Sausage and kale are a match made in heaven and adding crunchy walnuts to the mix just put it over the top. I’m very texture driven so I loved the crunch from the walnuts, along with the earthy nutty flavor.

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Click here to pin this Roasted Acorn Squash Bolognese recipe!

Leftovers…love ’em or hate ’em? I have mixed feelings about leftovers. They aren’t something that I normally get excited about, but I’m usually grateful for, especially at lunchtime the next day. I especially love when I can take leftovers and create something “new” with with them. This Roasted Acorn Squash Bolognese is a leftover mash-up (of these two recipes) that I enjoyed for lunch a couple of weeks ago. I’ve never eaten acorn squash this way and it was absolutely delicious!

I had just enough left over for a great low-carb meal for one…but this could easily be prepared for dinner. I love roasting acorn squash this way, it is simple and once it’s cooked up you just grab yourself a fork and knife and dig in. The squash cuts right off the skin, and when it’s topped with a hearty turkey and kale bolognese sauce it becomes such a filling, healthy meal that is truly perfect for this time of year.

With the time change and the evenings creeping up earlier I’m always craving warm, comfort food for dinner. Having lower carb options that down weigh me down is always a good thing.

The shorter days definitely make the evenings more cozy, wouldn’t you agree? I feel like it forces us to slow down a bit more, and just relax. I’ll take it.

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Click here to Pin this healthy Roasted Acorn Squash recipe.

‘Tis the season for pretty squash, right? I did not grow up eating fall squashes (or are they called winter squashes, I’m still not sure on that one) like acorn, butternut, delicata and spaghetti squashes but I’ve been really into finding ways to cook them and incorporate them into recipes over the last few years.

I’ve always been a little intimidated with preparing them, which is why they tend to sit pretty in a bowl on my counter for weeks sometimes…but they do really add to the fall decor in my kitchen so it’s all good.

I finally broke into this beautiful acorn squash last week. I’ve cooked with acorn squash a couple times, roasting it and then stuffing it. I’ve also served roasted acorn squash with bolognese sauce for a lower carb dinner option.

This time I wanted to keep it simple, to be served as a nutritious side dish to something like this balsamic pork roast or a roast chicken (both cooked in the crock pot to continue to keep things on the simple side).

The smoked paprika added such a nice layer of smoky flavor to the slightly sweet roasted acorn squash. I couldn’t help but sprinkle a bit of Parmesan on it too after seeing how Sandy serves her spaghetti squash.

Recipes Using Smoked Paprika

Roasted Red Potatoes with Smoked Paprika

Greek Yogurt Egg Salad with Smoked Paprika

Grilled Flank Steak with Brown Sugar Rub

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