Turkey Meatball Stuffed Acorn Squash (Low-Carb Comfort Food)
Italian turkey meatballs in a simple marinara, piled into roasted acorn squash and finished under a blanket of bubbly cheese. It's cozy, a little impressive, and naturally. Serve it straight from the broiler while the cheese is still bubbling and it's comfort food at its finest.
Equipment
- Rimmed baking sheet
- Sauce pan
- Conventional Oven
Ingredients
- 1 lb Festive Italian style ground turkey
- 1/2 Yellow onion
- 2 cloves Garlic
- 1 tbsp Butter
- 1 can Great Value Italian-style petite diced tomatoes with basil, garlic and oregano (14.5 oz)
- 3 oz Grated Colby Jack cheese (or Italian style cheese)
- 1/2 Acorn squash
Instructions
Form the meatballs
Form the turkey into bite-size meatballs. I use small meatballs here for two reasons: they're much easier to eat once they're tucked into the acorn squash, and the smaller size means they cook more quickly — making this recipe a little more weeknight-friendly.Bake the meatballs
Place the meatballs on a rimmed baking sheet and bake in an oven-style air fryer or conventional oven at 325°F for about 20 minutes. They don't need to be completely cooked through at this point because they'll finish cooking in the sauce.Make the sauce
While the meatballs bake, sauté ½ diced yellow onion in 1 tablespoon butter with a pinch of salt. Once the onion has softened, about 5–10 minutes, add 2 minced cloves of garlic and cook until fragrant.Add 1 can of Italian-style petite diced tomatoes with basil, garlic, and oregano.Prep the squash
While the sauce cooks, slice the acorn squash in half and scoop out the seeds. We're cooking both halves of the squash here. We'll remove some of the meaty part of the squash later to make room for meatballs.Finish the sauce
Let the sauce simmer over medium-low heat until the tomato pieces have softened. If you prefer a smoother sauce, use an immersion blender or food processor to blend the tomatoes and onions to your desired consistency.Add the meatballs to the sauce
Once the meatballs have finished baking, transfer them to the hot tomato sauce. Reduce the heat to low and let the meatballs finish cooking in the sauce.Bake the squash
Use a spoon or basting brush to brush some of the juices that cooked out of the meatballs over the cut surface of the acorn squash.Place the squash cut-side down on a rimmed baking sheet and bake at 400°F for about 30–45 minutes. I used the same baking sheet I used for the meatballs — I just gave it a quick wipe with a paper towel first.Make room in the squash
Once the acorn squash is fully cooked — a fork inserted into the flesh should meet almost no resistance — scoop out about half of the squash to make room for the meatballs and sauce.If you're making this as part of my free 3-day meal plan, set the scooped-out squash aside for tomorrow's dinner: Shepherd's Pie.Assemble and broil
Pile the cooked meatballs and sauce into the hollowed-out acorn squash, then top with grated cheese. Place under the broiler for a few minutes, keeping a close eye on it. Broiling can go from perfectly melted to burned very quickly.If you don't have a broiler or your baking dish isn't broiler-safe, bake at 400°F until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
Video
Notes
This casserole is part of my free 3-day low-carb meal plan — three full days of meals for two adults, under $30, with the full shopping list and four more recipes. Want low-carb recipes like this in your inbox? Subscribe here.