This seasonal winter dish the ground turkey and kabocha squash bake incorporates all of the classic turkey pairings. From cranberries and sage to apple and pecans it has it all. The kabocha squash add a lovely creamy sweet element to the dish.
Kabocha Squash
This variety of winter squash has become one of my favourite squashes of the last few years. In fact this year I was able to grow them, amazingly this kind of squash tastes better when left for a couple of months after picking.
The flavour is a little sweeter then butternut squash which would be another great option for this dish. But unlike a butternut squash kabocha tends to be richer and fluffier in texture. It is said to be a cross between a sweet potato and a pumpkin making it a great substitute for either of these vegetables.
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Ingredients for the turkey and kabocha squash bake
The main ingredients
- Lean ground turkey.
- Kabocha squash. If you struggle to find this squash then you can substitute it for butternut, sweet potato or acorn squash.
- A gala type apple. A nice sweet eating apple is the best for this recipe.
- A medium yellow onion.
- Celery.
- Dried cranberries.
- Pecan halves that have been roughly chopped up into smaller pieces.
- Fresh sage leaves.
- Fresh parsley.
Turkey Seasoning
- Garlic powder or granulated garlic
- Onion powder
- Poultry seasoning, if you can’t find this blend then it is very easy to make yourself, try this recipe here.
Broth
- Chicken Broth or bouillon.
- Cranberry Sauce. I personally like to use the whole rather than the jelly, but either work just fine for this recipe.
- Dijon mustard.
- Runny honey.
How to make the turkey and kabocha squash bake
Preheat the oven to 375F, 190C, gas mark 5.
Start by placing the ground turkey into a bowl along with the turkey seasoning ingredients and give it all a good mix. Making sure the spice are evenly incorporated into the meat.
In a measuring just place all of the broth ingredients and whisk together well. Place that the side with the turkey.
Dice the onion and celery finely. In a medium pan over a medium heat add a knob of butter, once this has melted add in the onion and celery to soften. This will probably take around 8 minutes.
While the onion and celery cooks peel the kabocha squash and cut it into roughly one inch cubes. Also peel, core and cut the apple into around half inch pieces.
Once the onions and celery start to look translucent and shiny add them along with the squash, apple, sage, cranberries, pecans and parsley into a greased ovenproof baking dish around 9×13 in size. I love using stoneware like this dish here when I roast or bake any vegetables or meat dish. I find the flavour unbeatable and well worth the investment.
Pour the broth mixture over the vegetables, fruit, nuts and herbs. Season with salt and pepper then give it all a stir.
Using a large cookie scoop like this one or a spoon blob the turkey mixture over the top. They should resemble something that look like rough looking meatballs.
Place the dish into the preheated oven and bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until the squash is soft and the meat is cooked through. give it a stir half way through cooking this will help the meat to not dry out.
When you check the squash use a fork I find this will give you an accurate gauge if the squash is soft.
Remove from the oven and serve right away.
Serving
This dish is wonderful served alone or you could pair it will a nice crusty bread.
I hope you enjoy this dish as much as I do.
Please don’t forget to leave a review.
Ground turkey and kabocha squash bake
A great seasonal winter dish. A very simple dinner that is packed full of flavour and texture. The kabocha squash add a rich sweet element making it wonderfully hearty.
Ingredients
- 1 lb Lean ground turkey
- 1 Kabocha squash (see note)
- 1 Gala apple (any sweet eating apple)
- 1 Medium yellow cooking onion
- 1 Celery stick
- 1/3 cup Pecans roughly chopped
- 1/3 cup Dried cranberries
- 1 tbsp Chopped fresh sage
- 1-2 tbsp Chopped fresh parsley
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Turkey Seasoning
- 1 tsp Garlic powder or granulated garlic
- 1 tsp Onion powder
- 2 tsp Poultry seasoning (see note)
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Broth
- 1 1/2- 2 cups (375-500 ml) Chicken broth or bouillon
- 2 tbsp Cranberry sauce
- 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 1/2 tbsp Runny honey
Instructions
- Start by placing the ground turkey into a bowl along with the turkey seasoning ingredients and give it all a good mix. Making sure the spice are evenly incorporated into the meat.
- In a measuring just place all of the broth ingredients and whisk together well. Place that the side with the turkey.
- Dice the onion and celery finely. In a medium pan over a medium heat add a knob of butter, once this has melted add in the onion and celery to soften. This will probably take around 5 minutes.
- While the onion and celery cooks peel the kabocha squash and cut it into roughly one inch cubes. Also peel, core and cut the apple into around half inch pieces.
- Once the onions and celery start to look translucent and shiny add them along with the squash, apple, sage, cranberries, pecans and parsley into a greased ovenproof baking dish around 9x13 in size.
- Pour the broth mixture over the vegetables, fruit, nuts and herbs. Season with salt and pepper then give it all a stir.
- Using a large cookie scoop or a spoon blob the turkey mixture over the top. They should resemble something that look like rough looking meatballs.
- Place the dish into the preheated oven and bake for 35 minutes or until the squash is soft and the meat is cooked through.
- Remove from the oven and serve right away.
Preheat the oven to 375F, 190C, gas mark 5.
This dish is wonderful served alone or you could pair it will a nice crusty bread.
Notes
- If you struggle to find the kabocha squash then you can also use butternut, acorn or sweet potato in its place
- If you cannot find poultry seasoning you can easily make your own. I have linked a recipe above in the post.
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