Stuffed Acorn Squash

5 from 1 vote

Stuffed Acorn Squash

Not only is this stuffed acorn squash an absolute stunner (hello, beautiful fall dinner!), it's also incredibly delicious. Sweet, nutty acorn squash is stuffed with rich caramelized onions, tender, fall-apart shredded beef, and tart cranberries, and then topped with a tasty garlicky Greek yogurt sauce - it's a recipe that you'll keep coming back to all season long!

Prep Time10

Cook Time3 40

Total Time3 50

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American

Diet: Gluten Free

Servings: Servings

Author: Cassy Joy Garcia

Ingredients

For the Stuffed Squash

3 tablespoons ghee or olive oil
3 pound chuck roast
1 tablespoon salt, divided
3 cups beef broth
2 acorn squash, cut in half
½ cup (1 stick) butter
2 pounds yellow onions, thinly sliced
1 cup cranberries, fresh or frozen
½ teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped, for garnish, optional

For the Greek Yogurt Sauce

½ cup plain Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons lemon juice (the juice from about 1 lemon)
1 clove garlic, grated
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons fresh thyme, finely chopped

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 325°F, and season the roast with 1 teaspoon of salt. Place the ghee (or olive oil) in a heavy-bottomed or enameled cast iron pot over high heat. Once hot, sear the roast on one side for 4 minutes, then flip it over and remove the pot from the heat. Pour the broth into the pot until it reaches halfway up the roast, then place the lid on the pot, and bake for 3 hours.
While the roast is in the oven, place the squash halves cut side down on a baking sheet or in a casserole dish, and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes (at the same time as the roast).
While the roast and acorn squash are in the oven, caramelize the onions. Add the butter to a heavy-bottomed pot over low heat, and once melted, add the sliced onions and 1 teaspoon of salt. Stir to combine, then place a lid on top, and let the onions wilt for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, take the lid off the skillet and toss the onions in the butter. Turn the heat up to medium-low, and let the onions continue to caramelize, uncovered, for 45 minutes, scraping the pan and stirring the onions occasionally.
Once the roast is finished, use two forks to shred it. Then, put the shredded beef, caramelized onions, cranberries, the final teaspoon of salt, and pepper in a large bowl and toss to combine. Stuff equal portions of the beef mixture into the squash halves. Raise the oven temperature to 375°F.
If the acorn squash is still warm when you stuff it, bake for 10 minutes, until the beef is slightly browned the and stuffing is fully warmed through. If the acorn squash is cool when you stuff it, tent the stuffed squash with aluminum foil, and bake it for 25 minutes, until both the squash and stuffing are warmed through.
While the stuffed squash is in the oven, make the sauce by whisking or blending together the Greek yogurt, lemon juice, grated garlic, salt, and thyme.
Pour the sauce over the stuffed squash, sprinkle with fresh thyme leaves, if using, and serve!

Notes

Recipe Modifications:

Make it dairy-free - to make the sauce dairy-free, simply caramelize the onions in olive oil (vs. butter), and swap the yogurt in the yogurt sauce for either your favorite plain dairy-free yogurt or mayo.
Make it grain-free - this recipe is grain-free as-is!
Make it gluten-free - same as above: this recipe is gluten-free as written.

Make-Ahead Tips:

By prepping the components below ahead of time, you'll cut your kitchen time on the night-of by over 3 hours. Here's how to prep:

Make the roast - if you've got time over the weekend, throw the roast into the oven and let it cook while you do your at-home weekend things! When it's done, shred it and store it in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Caramelize the onions - similar to the roast, if you've got time to let the onions caramelize (very little actual hands-on time, but you'll need to be in the house, of course) over the weekend, go for it! Once they're done, store them in a jar or airtight container for up to a week.

Pre-roast the acorn squash - go ahead and stick the halved acorn squash into the oven while the roast cooks. When it's done, either cover the sheet pan with foil (and use the exact same pan for heating the stuffed squash on the night-of) or transfer the squash to an airtight container or bag, and store in the fridge for up to a week.

Make the sauce - though this isn't a HUGE time saver, it can still be helpful! Simply whisk together the ingredients and store them in a jar or airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.

Prepping these components means that on the night you plan on enjoying the meal, you'll just need to combine the shredded beef, caramelized onions, and

Nutrition