I can’t get enough of these spiced beef and sage stuffed apples! They are seriously what fall dreams are made of: sweet apples, slightly tart cranberries and delicious warming spices.
These little baked apples may look fancy, but they’re surprisingly easy to make. You’ll need a melon baller to scoop and hollow out the apple halves – trust me, this will take no time at all. Once that’s done, just fill them up with my spiced ground beef filling and stick them in the oven.
These stuffed apples make for the perfect fall party appetizer – or you can enjoy them as a meal. This dish is simple enough to make on a weeknight!
You will love the different textures and flavors in this dish. The cranberries have a slight chew to them. The walnuts develop a perfectly toasty flavor in the oven. The apples are so sweet and tender. The celery adds a little crunch. And the ground beef is perfectly seasoned.
The best part about this recipe is that it’s delicious, healthy and affordable. I bought organic apples, organic celery, organic walnuts, grass fed ground beef and even organic spices from ALDI to make this savory and sweet app/snack/meal.
Did you see my Instagram post about finding organic spices at my local ALDI? I’ve mentioned my love for their store on many occasions – it makes me so happy to see them continue to expand their organic/healthy options. I hope you’ve bookmarked my real food shopping guide at ALDI blog post – I keep updating it with my new finds!
If you want to make this dish for a more casual event – like a football party or for tailgating – just chop up the apples and add them directly to the ground beef mixture. If you go this route, I suggest toasting the walnuts in the oven separately. The toasty flavor really adds a lot to the dish.
If you make these even once during apple season, I’m sure you’ll make them again!
Ingredients
- 6 Apples halved and hollowed out using a melon baller
Savory Ground Beef Filling:
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Add the oil and onions to a sauté pan or dutch oven over medium heat. Sauté for 5-6 minutes, or until the onions have softened.
- Next, add the ground beef and spices and cook until browned.
- Turn off the heat.
- Stir in the cranberries, celery, walnuts and sage.
- Spoon the mixture into the hollowed apple halves and bake at 350F for 25 minutes, or until the apples are tender.
Morgan Scott says
What sides would go great with these to make a meal out of them, thank you in advance
My Heart Beets says
Any veggie! Mashed potatoes and corn would be great! Or any roasted veggie (broccoli would be great).
danielle says
Hi there, what kind of apples did you use?
My Heart Beets says
I used gala but any apples will work 🙂
Wendy says
The recipe sounds great but what do you do with the insides of the apples? It seems a waste to throw all that away.
My Heart Beets says
Thanks, Wendy! I eat the insides of the apples – never waste! Or I’ll add the extra apple pieces at the end and eat whatever stuffing I don’t use on it’s own. Hope that helps 🙂
Judee says
This is an intriguing idea, and I love the presentation. Im sure I could come up with a vegetarian version- maybe butternut squash instead of beef in the filling??
Yar says
This looks SO GOOD!! I have most of the ingredients, so I might run to the store to get the rest and make it later today! Thanks for the recipe!
My Heart Beets says
Thanks! I know you’ll love it!
Sarah says
This looks awesome! I want to make it tonight but I am out of paprika. Would Kashmiri chili powder or Degi mirch work as a substitute?
My Heart Beets says
Hi Sarah! Yes, Kashmiri chili powder/Degi mirch will work! I’d say use ½ to 1 teaspoon of Kashmiri chili (or more depending on your heat preference) and leave out the Cayenne. Let me know how this turns out for you! 🙂
Sarah says
Hi Ashley- It turned out well! I used 1/2 tsp of Degi mirch and left out the cayenne and there wasn’t a lot of heat, so I may add a pinch of cayenne to the leftover filling. The walnuts and cranberries were a nice addition- next time I’ll sprinkle a little of each on top as well before baking just to get more crunch.
Thanks again for the recipe!
My Heart Beets says
Sarah, I’m happy to hear that, thanks so much for letting me know how it turned out! 🙂
Sarah says
It’s funny, I have your apple butter in the fridge along with your apple cider and apple turnover. I didn’t realize how apple-centric everything had become until I added these “apple boat” leftovers. Definitely feeling like fall over here 😉
My Heart Beets says
Sarah, haha that is PERFECT! Love that you’re making so many apple recipes from the blog! You’re doing fall right!