A scrumptious, savory stuffing with sweet apples and delicious honeynut squash, perfect for Thanksgiving or any holiday gathering! Make it casserole-style, or use to stuff your poultry. A vegan version of this recipe is easy by substituting the sausage with non-meat sausage and replacing the egg.
On the Ingredients
- Honeynut squash look a bit like miniature butternut but they’re actually a hybrid of butternut and buttercup squash. They’re very sweet and nutty, with a the same texture as butternut. Winter squash come in many different varieties, but they all originate in the Americas. They are 90% water but are also nutrient dense and high in fiber. Some possible health benefits include improving gut health and blood pressure. (Read more on the health benefits.)
- Dried Cranberries have a lot of great health benefits, but because of their very tart flavor, they’re often paired with lots of sugar. You want to make sure you’re getting a brand that uses apple juice to sweeten them (like those in our bulk department) rather than sugar. Cranberries are well known for having unique plant compounds that may help prevent UTIs, but they also have lots of vitamins C, E, and K1, plus copper and Manganese. Cranberries also have a lot of antioxidants which are mainly concentrated in the skin, and therefore get lost in the ever-popular juice. (More on the health benefits).
- Apples originally came from Central Asia, but they have been cultivated in Asia and Europe for centuries before being brought to America by European colonists. Apples grown from seeds are very different from their parent trees, so to maintain desirable varieties, apple trees are grafted, meaning each apple tree is a clone of the tree that initially produced that variety of apples. The term “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” may be wishful thinking, but apples are very nutrient-dense, containing vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. (Read more about apples.)
Honeynut Squash Stuffing (Grain-Free)
6
servings10
minutes1
hour10
minutes1
hour20
minutesA scrumptious, savory stuffing with sweet apples and delicious honeynut squash, perfect for Thanksgiving or any holiday gathering! Make it casserole-style, or use to stuff your poultry. A vegan version of this recipe is easy by substituting the sausage with non-meat sausage and replacing the egg.
Ingredients
3 honeynut squash
olive oil
1 onion (diced)
3 stalks celery (diced)
1 lb ground pork or ground sausage
1 large apple (diced)
1 tsp fresh thyme
2 tsp fresh sage
1 tsp fresh rosemary
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1 egg
salt and pepper to taste
Directions
- Peel and gut the honeynut squash, then cut into one-inch cubes. Drizzle with olive oil and roast at 375° for 35 minutes, stirring halfway through.
- While the squash roasts, sauté the onion, celery, and garlic until onions begin to turn translucent.
- Add the meat and break it up with a spoon or spatula. When the pork is about half cooked, add the apple, herbs, salt, and pepper.
- Once the pork is cooked, add the cranberries and the roasted squash. Transfer to a casserole dish and pour the beaten egg over the top, stir gently until partially mixed in.
- Bake at 350° F for 35 minutes and serve hot. This recipe can also be used as a stuffing for a chicken or turkey.
