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You are here: Home / All Recipes / Taco Stuffed Acorn Squash

October 20, 2020 By Nancylynn 7 Comments

Taco Stuffed Acorn Squash

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My new favorite Stuffed Acorn Squash – this Taco Stuffed Acorn Squash – is the perfect, easy-to-prep, budget friendly and gluten-free Fall dinner or lunch. Make it even easier (and faster!) by using freezer taco meat and prepping your roasted acorn squash in advance! This post contains affiliate links for products I’m obsessed with. 

Taco stuffed acorn squash topped with cheese and cilantro on a white plate.

Guys. 

This Taco Stuffed Acorn Squash Recipe might be my new favorite Stuffed Squash recipe. 

And if you are sitting here wondering how Tacos and Acorn Squash go together, I want you to know I understand your skepticism. 

Overhead photo of a stuffed acorn squash with taco meat and cheese as a filling.

But, friend, it just freaking works.  Like really, really works. 

And this bowl of Fall deliciousness is also: 

    • stupid easy
    • budget friendly
    • family friendly 
    • and perfect for Meal Prep
 

How to make Roasted Acorn Squash

The first thing we are going to do is roast our acorn squash.  This is a great thing to do on meal prep day because it’s super hands off and doesn’t require any babysitting. 

First, cut your acorn squash in half from top to bottom or through the middle.  Either works, but top to bottom can be easier.  

Tip: cut a little bit off the bottom so your squash lays flat on your cutting board before cutting all the way through. 

Acorn squash cut in half with a spoon ready to scoop out the seeds of the squash before roasting it in the oven.

After cutting your squash in half, scoop out the seeds from the center of the squash and discard or roast those babies. 

Next, brush your acorn squash with olive oil, and sprinkle with sea or Himalayan salt.  

Silicone cooking brush basting half of an acorn squash with olive oil before roasting in the oven.

To keep the mess at bay, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place your prepped Acorn Squash on top. 

Acorn squash halves, cut side up, on a parchment lined baking sheet

Finally, bake your squash on 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 40 minutes or until easily mashed with a fork.  Now you are ready for the filling!

Mashed acorn squash halves, after being roasted in the oven, and ready to be stuffed on a parchment lined baking sheet.

Ingredients for Taco Stuffed Acorn Squash Filling

You only need a few simple ingredients to make the Taco Filling for your Roasted Acorn Squash. 

  • Lean ground beef – I love Butcher Box Grass Fed Ground Beef, but you could sub ground chicken or ground turkey, too.  If you want to make a vegetarian or vegan version, sub quinoa or brown rice!
  • Tomato Sauce – you want the canned sauce, not the jarred.  
  • Salt free taco seasoning – this is another thing to prep a batch of on meal prep day and keep on hand for whenever you need it. 
  • Sharp cheddar cheese – you can also swap dairy free cheese or leave off the cheese and this will still be delish!  If you aren’t a fan of cheddar, use whatever cheese you like here. 
  •  Corn + Black beans (optional – omit for no yellow) – I had some on hand, so I added them to my Taco Meat, but you could definitely leave them out if you want a lower carb, or no-yellow meal. 

Meal Prep Tip #1:  Whenever you make Taco Meat, double or triple your batch and freeze it!  Taco meat is one of the best freezer items to have on hand for those busy weeks!

Overhead photo of cooked ground beef in a pan, layered with tomato sauce, corn, black beans, and spices, ready to be mixed up with a wooden spoon

While your squash is roasting, brown your ground beef, then add in sauce and taco seasoning.  Cook until sauce has  thickened.  Stir in corn and black beans. 

After your filling is cooked, it’s time to Stuff the Acorn Squash.  Divide your Taco Meat into the 4 squash halves evenly.  If your squash is on the smaller size, you might have extra filling.  You could save it for tacos or more Acorn Squash!

Acorn squash stuffed with taco meat and topped with cheese, ready to go back into the oven to melt the cheese.

Go ahead and top with some cheese and put your squash back in the oven. Get that cheese all warm and melty and then your squash is ready to go!

Meal Prep Tip #2:  If you are prepping this meal ahead of time, you can fill the squash and finish off the baking with the cheese, then cool and store in an airtight container.  Or, you can just fill the squash, but bake the cheese when you are ready to eat.  Of course you could also store the filling and the squash separate until you are ready to eat!

Final product of taco stuffed acorn squash on a white plate and garnished with cilantro.

Can I freeze Roasted Acorn Squash?

Yes!  Cooked Acorn Squash freezes very well!  You can freeze it stuffed or freeze the taco filling separately.  This makes for a quick, single serve lunch or dinner. 

To reheat, thaw in the fridge overnight, then bake in the oven at 400 until warm.  Or, if you don’t have time to thaw, bake at 350 until hot, then top with cheese increase temp to 400 for the last ten minutes of cook time. 

Close up photo of a bite of taco stuffed acorn squash on a fork with the rest of the squash in the background on a plate.

More Stuffed Acorn Squash Recipes

Stuffed Acorn Squash with Sausage, Spinach, and Feta

Roasted Acorn Squash with Sweet Whipped Ricotta

Cranberry Pecan Quinoa Stuffed Acorn Squash | Ambitious Kitchen

Close up photo of an acorn squash recipe with black and pink text on a white rectangle. Text says, Taco Stuffed Acorn Squash | 21 Day Fix | WW | GF | Confessions of a Fit Foodie

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Taco Stuffed Acorn Squash

★★★★★ 5 from 2 reviews
  • Author: Nancylynn
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 50 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x
  • Category: Dinner
  • Method: Skillet | Oven
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Gluten Free
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Description

My new favorite Stuffed Acorn Squash – this Taco Stuffed Acorn Squash – is the perfect, easy-to-prep, budget friendly Fall dinner or lunch. Make it even easier (and faster!) by using freezer taco meat and roasting your acorn squash in advance!


Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 large acorn squash
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 1 1/2 lbs lean ground beef – I love Butcher Box grass fed beef (can sub 99% turkey for WW)
  • 1 cup of tomato sauce 
  • 1–2 T of salt free taco seasoning
  • ⅔ cup of sharp cheddar cheese 
  • 1/2 cup of corn (optional – omit for no yellow)
  • 1/2 cup of black beans (optional – omit for no yellow)
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • garnish – cilantro

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper (optional, but keeps the mess away).
  2. Cut each acorn squash in half, top to bottom OR across the middle, and remove the seeds.  Brush each squash with olive oil, then sprinkle with salt. Place squash halves in oven for 40 minutes, or until fork tender, but still retaining their shape.
  3. While the squash is roasting, brown ground beef in a ceramic non stick skillet until cooked through. Next, stir in tomato sauce, corn, black beans, and salt free taco seasoning and cook until taco mixture has thickened.  Add salt, taste and adjust seasoning as desired. 
  4. Once squash is finished cooking, use a fork to gently mash the inside. Then divide taco mixture evenly among the squash halves. Top each with 2.5 T of cheddar cheese. Place squash back in the oven for a few minutes to melt and brown the cheese.
  5. Garnish with cilantro if desired!

Equipment

Parchment

Buy Now →

Sheet Pan

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Notes

Makes 4 servings

21 Day Fix: 1 RED, 1 GREEN, 1/2 BLUE, 1/2 YELLOW (optional, omit beans and corn for no yellow) (per serving)

WW: Green – 7 points, Blue – 2 points; Purple – 2 points (per serving) – calculated using 99% ground turkey & reduced fat cheddar cheese  [If using 95% ground beef & reduced fat cheese:  Green – 10 points, Blue- 8 points, Purple- 8 points]


Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 squash half

Keywords: Stuffed Acorn Squash, Taco Stuffed Acorn Squash, Acorn Squash Recipes, Roasted Acorn Squash, How to Roast Acorn Squash

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Filed Under: All Recipes, Beef, Cooking Method, Courses, Diet, Dinner, Fall + Thanksgiving, Gluten Free, Ingredient, Kid Friendly, Lunch, Seasonal, Squash, Stove + Oven, Winter + Christmas

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Emily says

    October 22, 2020 at 4:45 pm

    Can’t wait to make this!! How do you think it would reheat in the microwave for work lunches?

    Reply
    • Nancylynn says

      October 25, 2020 at 6:19 pm

      It will be AMAZING!! Reheated is just as yummy!

      Reply
  2. Jennifer says

    October 25, 2020 at 3:18 am

    What a delicious-looking way to cut back on carbs + add some fall flavor!

    Reply
    • Nancylynn says

      October 25, 2020 at 6:28 pm

      Yep! It’s so yummy!

      Reply
  3. Carrie Dunning says

    October 25, 2020 at 3:28 pm

    Oooooh, YUM! These are yummy! The combo of the sweet wonderful acorn squash combined with the taco flavors that we all love made this is favorite that we’ll keep coming back to! I upped the corn and black beans to 1 cup each so that 1 serving will be a full yellow. Thanks NancyLynn for continuing your awesomeness!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  4. Marcella says

    January 15, 2021 at 2:50 pm

    Made this for the first time for Taco Tuesday. Husband and children approved!! This will be making the rotation at our house! Cannot thank you enough for all your amazing recipes. You make it so much easier to stay on track!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Nancylynn says

      January 17, 2021 at 6:44 pm

      That is the goal- keeping Momma’s sanity in tact while eating healthy! So glad everyone liked it!

      Reply

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