Turkey Apple Stuffed Honeynut Squash

November 30, 2022

Turkey Apple Stuffed Honeynut Squash is a hearty winter meal packed with flavor, but also balanced to help you feel your best! Plus, it looks fancier than it is, so it’s great for a winter dinner party too!

Gluten Free, Grain Free, Nut Free, Dairy Free, Egg Free, Soy Free

Let’s meet a new winter squash this year: HONEYNUT SQUASH!!!

No, it does not contain nuts! It’s a hybrid between a butternut squash (also doesn’t contain nuts) and buttercup squash. To identify it at the grocery store, it’s smaller than butternut squash and has a darker exterior skin (like a dark tan versus a lighter tan of a butternut squash). But when you cut it open it has a slightly darker orange flesh inside.

Like other orange winter squashes, honeynut squash is rich in…

Beta-carotene, which gets converted to vitamin A in your body
Calcium
Iron
Fiber
And more!

Of course, if you can’t find honeynut squash in the market, you can swap in butternut squash for this recipe (the roasting time will be slightly longer, however, because they are larger).

Honeynut squash is so satisfying roasted on its own (with a little oil, salt and cinnamon), but stuffing it makes it a complete dinner, balanced with protein.

This Turkey Apple Stuffed Honeynut Squash is a delicious weeknight dinner that feels fancy AF, but is truly simple to make.

Made with just 11 ingredients, this stuffed honeynut squash is filled with a savory and naturally sweet mixture of browned turkey, sautéed apples and onions, plus aromatic spices to balance the sweet flesh of the honeynut squash.

This Turkey Apple Stuffed Honeynut Squash is…

An easy weeknight dinner
Fancy enough for a dinner party
Made with just 11 ingredients
Allergy-friendly
A complete, balanced meal
Loaded with immune-boosting nutrients (hello vitamins A & C!)
DELICIOUS!

Ingredients to Make Turkey Apple Stuffed Honeynut Squash

As mentioned above, you’ll need just 11 ingredients to make stuffed honeynut squash, including:

Honeynut squash
Shallots
Garlic
Ground turkey
Dried thyme
Spices: ground cinnamon, dried oregano, smoked paprika,
Parsley
Apple
Salted pumpkin seeds

You may even have a lot of these ingredients in your fridge and pantry!

What should I use if I can’t find honeynut squash at the supermarket?

If honeynut squash is not avaialble, you can use nearly any winter squash, including:

Acorn squash – but add a drizzle of maple syrup before roasting because it’s a much milder flavor and needs some sweetness (I think)
Butternut Squash – but add cooking time because they’re much larger
Sugar Pie Pumpkins – you will also need to add cooking time
Delicata squash – I would also add some maple syrup before roasting to enhance the sweetness

What type of apple is best for this recipe?

Because only 1 apple is used, you can truly use whatever apple you have. I prefer a Granny Smith or Macintosh apple for cooking and baking.

How to make Turkey Apple Stuffed Honeynut Squash

Although the finished product looks fancier than a typical weeknight dinner (at least for us), the process of making this recipe is fairly simple. You can even do half of it in advance to make weeknights a bit simpler (see the meal prep section below).

First, you’ll roast the squash.

The natural flavor of honeynut squash is sweeter than other winter squashes, so I like to season it with just some cinnamon, salt and pepper. Plus, you’ll drizzle with olive oil to aid caramelization when roasting. This enhances the flavor even more.

For a nutrition note, cooking vegetables rich in fat-soluble vitamins (like vitamin A, in this case) with oil helps enhance the vitamin absorption.

Next, you’ll prepare the filling.

While the squash roasts, saute the shallots with garlic and spices before adding the apples at the end to soften. Then you’ll add the ground turkey to brown. This comes together fairly quickly.

When the squash is done, you’ll stuff the squash with the turkey/apple filling and broil for a few minutes.

This helps the edges of the squash to crisp up a bit and the top of the turkey to get a little crispy. It’s hard to explain, but don’t skip this step.

OPTIONAL: you can also add some grated parmesan cheese before broiling for a cheesy take. I skipped this step because my husband doesn’t like cheese (*cue eyeroll*), but next time I’m definitely doing it!!

Garnish with pepitas, or shelled pumpkin seeds, before serving.

This adds a little crunch that’s so necessary to enhance the texture. Make sure the pepitas are salted because it needs a little extra salty bite!

Kitchen Tools You’ll Need to Make Stuffed Honeynut Squash

You don’t need any fancy kitchen appliances to make these stuffed honeynut squashes. You’ll need…

Good chef’s knife to cut the squash
Glass baking dish
Saute pan