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Sausage Stuffed Butternut Squash is a Fall comfort food that features Italian sausage, pecans, cranberries, and spinach. This flavorful family-friendly dinner is packed with veggies, fiber, and protein, and is gluten-free. It's simple enough to make on a weeknight and perfect to serve as a side dish or main course for the holidays!
Cozy Autumn dinner
This sausage-stuffed butternut squash recipe has quickly become my family's favorite Fall dinner because it is incredibly easy to make and is a complete meal all on its own! This flavorful comfort food dinner has everything: protein (sausage), veggies (roasted butternut squash and spinach), carbs (pecans and cranberries), and fiber! It will keep you full and you don't really need anything else to serve with it! Perfect to make when you need a simple and quick weeknight dinner. You can also serve this as a holiday side dish or main course for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and other Fall and Winter holidays!
Sausage stuffed butternut squash recipe in a nutshell
This recipe was inspired by my sausage-stuffed acorn squash and it uses pretty much the same ingredients. This delicious and comforting dinner is perfect for colder days in the Fall and Winter. Here is this recipe in a nutshell:
- First, I roasted the butternut squash halves in the oven.
- While the squash was roasted, I prepared the sausage filling by cooking the onion, sausage, garlic, spices, and then adding spinach, dried cranberries, and pecans.
- Then, I basically stuffed the filling into roasted squash halves and served it with fresh herbs.
- You can also add shredded or grated cheese, such as Parmesan, Gruyere, or Asiago cheese on top if you like. I didn't use the cheese - the stuffed squash was already tasty without it. But cheese would be a nice addition!
- It's an easy meal that makes 4 generous size dinner portions or 8 moderate-sized portions. Great to make for family and friends on busy weeknights. It also makes a beautiful presentation - perfect for serving during the holidays or entertaining guests.
Is butternut squash a fruit or vegetable?
Even though we usually view butternut squash (and really all types of squash) as vegetables, did you know that it is botanically considered a fruit? Why? Because, botanically speaking, fruits contain seeds and develop from the flowers of a plant. And, since all types of squash have seeds and come from the flowering part of plants, all types of squash are considered fruit!
What kind of sausage to use?
I used spicy crumbled Italian sausage which added lots of savory flavors and a bit of spice to the squash. You can use any other type of spicy sausage (except breakfast sausage - I don't think it would work well here). If you don't like spicy sausage, use mild or sweet Italian sausage. You can also use chicken sausage. I used crumbled sausage, however, you can use the one in casings, too - just remove the casings and crumble it as you cook it.
Main ingredients
- Butternut squash is rich in dietary fiber and is an excellent addition to your menu. This winter squash is a great source of vitamins A, B6, C, and E, as well as several minerals, including magnesium, manganese, and potassium.
- Sausage. I used spicy crumbled Italian sausage.
- Onion. The onion is lightly caramelized in the beginning and then combined with the sausage. You can use any variety of onions: sweet onions, yellow onions, or white onions.
- Spinach. It's high in fiber and a good source of many vitamins and minerals. I used fresh spinach which I added to the skillet with the cooked sausage. You can also use frozen spinach (thawed completely and drained of any liquid). Another option is kale.
- Nuts. Pecans add crunch and texture to this stuffed winter squash. Or, use walnuts.
- Dried cranberries. They add sweetness to the sausage mixture.
- Italian seasoning combines dried herbs, such as thyme, sage, and oregano. Or, use Herbs de Provence.
The Directions
This is a quick overview of recipe instructions along with helpful step-by-step photos. For a complete and detailed recipe, scroll down to the recipe card.
1) Roast the squash. You will need 2 medium or large-size butternut squash. Carefully slice each one in half, and scoop out the seeds. You will have 4 butternut squash halves. Roast in the preheated oven at 400 F for 30 or 40 minutes.
2) Make the filling. While the squash is being roasted, prepare the sausage filling. First, cook together onions and sausage. Then, add Italian seasoning and minced garlic. Finally, add spinach, cooking it until it wilts. Then, mix in dried cranberries and pecans.
3) Prepare the roasted butternut squash halves for stuffing. Using a spoon, scoop out the flesh leaving about a 1-inch border along the sides. See photos for more clarity:
4) Stuff the squash. Reheat the sausage filling on the stovetop if needed and then add it into the cavities of each of the 4 butternut squash halves. The dinner is ready!
Cooking tips
- Use cooking time efficiently by preparing the sausage stuffing while you roast the butternut squash in the oven.
- Salt. I did not add any salt to the sausage mixture, because the sausage I used was salty enough. I did season the squash generously with salt and pepper when I roasted it.
- Reheat the sausage mixture. Before you stuff the butternut squash with the sausage mixture, reheat the sausage filling in the same skillet on the stovetop right before adding it to the freshly roasted squash halves to keep everything hot before serving.
Storage and reheating tips
- Refrigerate. Store the leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Freeze. You can easily freeze this dish in an airtight container for up to 2 months.
- Reheat. Reheat the squash in the preheated oven at 350 F for about 30 minutes or until all the ingredients are heated through.
What to serve with it
- Fresh Salad. Serve this winter squash with a basic salad by tossing together your favorite greens with nuts and a small amount of grated Parmesan cheese. This simple spinach salad is a good option, or try a basic arugula salad with lemon zest, Parmesan, and pine nuts.
- Bread. Sausage stuffed butternut squash pairs well with warm garlic bread, Italian bread, or a slice of olive bread loaf.
- Autumn salad recommendations. If you'd like to make a simple Fall salad, try this beautiful arugula salad with apples, pears, and cashews, or make roasted Brussels sprouts salad with walnuts, mandarin oranges, and cranberries.
Other butternut squash recipes you might like
If you want more Fall-inspired meals that use this wonderful vegetable (or fruit! - depends on how you look at it), don't miss these recipes:
- Creamy Butternut Squash Gnocchi with Sausage, Thyme, and Sage
- Stuffed Butternut Squash with Spinach, Bacon, and Cheese
- Creamy Butternut Squash Pasta with Sausage and Spinach
- Creamy Ground Turkey Pasta with Butternut Squash and Spinach
- Autumn Chicken Dinner with Roasted Vegetables (Butternut Squash and Brussels Sprouts)
Sausage Stuffed Butternut Squash
Ingredients
Roasted Butternut Squash
- 2 butternut squash medium or large
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon salt or more
- black pepper freshly ground
Sausage filling
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion small, diced
- 14 oz Italian sausage spicy, crumbled
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 4 oz spinach fresh
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- ½ cup pecans chopped
Instructions
How to roast butternut squash
- Preheat oven to 400 F.
- Prepare the butternut squash. Slice each one in half lengthwise. Keep fingers away from the knife to avoid injury. Use a spoon to scoop out the seeds and fleshy strands tangled with the seeds.
- Place butternut squash cut sides up on a baking sheet. Drizzle the cut sides of the butternut squash halves with olive oil and rub the oil into the squash. Season generously with salt and pepper.
- Turn the squash halves over, and place it cut sides down on a baking sheet. Tip: you can line the baking sheet with parchment paper for easy clean-up.
- Roast in the preheated oven at 400 F for 30 or 40 minutes.
Make sausage filling
- Make the sausage filling while the squash is being roasted in the oven.
- In a large skillet, heat olive oil, add diced onion, and cook it on medium-high heat for about 2 minutes until cooked and a bit charred.
- Add crumbled sausage, minced garlic, and Italian seasoning and cook for about 5 minutes or more on medium heat until the sausage is completely cooked through.
- Add fresh spinach and cook for another 5 minutes on medium heat until the spinach wilts.
- Add dried cranberries and chopped pecans and mix everything.
- Season with salt and pepper. Probably not necessary since the sausage is already usually salty (unless you use sweet sausage which I do not recommend).
Assembly
- By this time, you have roasted the butternut squash for 30 or 40 minutes. Remove them from the oven and turn the cooked squash halves cut sides up.
- Let it cool slightly. Using a spoon, scoop out the flesh leaving about a 1-inch border along the sides. (For reference, I provide the step-by-step photos for this step above the recipe card).
- Reheat the sausage mixture in the same skillet in which you made it to warm it up.
- Divide the sausage filling among the 4 halves and stuff the squash until the mixture is leveled or a little bit higher.
- Top with freshly ground black pepper and fresh thyme.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer:
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
This looks delicious. But do you mix the scooped cooked squash in with the sausage mixture before stuffing it back?
This was delicious my only comment would be it appears you put yours under the broiler for a bit to get the caramelized edges on the butternut squash I followed your directions and did not get any caramelization at all. Please confirm the broiler might’ve been used for this?
Darlene, I did not put this dish under the broiler, but all my roasted butternut squashes come out like that (without broiling).
➡️ I preheat the oven to 400 F. My oven is regular, non-convection.
➡️ I line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
➡️ I brush all the edges of the cut side of the butternut squash generously with olive oil, plus salt and pepper.
➡️ I roast the butternut squash halves on the lowest rack, with the squash spread out without overcrowding so that there is no extra moisture accumulated. I don't move the squash for 30 minutes. At 30 minutes, I check it for doneness and might roast for 10 more minutes.
➡️ This caramelization can also be achived by broiling.
I hope that helps.
Absolutely delicious! I roasted the butternut squash face done, lowest rack and got the same caramelization you mentioned. I used sage sausage and added Italian seasonings and crushed dried jalapeños from my garden!! Thanks again for the recipe.
Christine, thank you for this feedback - glad that you were able to get the same caramelization using my simple tips! 🙂 Crushed dried jalapeños definitely add so much flavor to the sage sausage - love it! ❤️
Can you make this ahead of time? And how long will it stay fresh in the fridge?
Andy, yes, you can make this ahead. I've made a lot of it (all for myself) and kept it refrigerated for 4 days just fine! Of course, if you're planning to serve it for your guests, I would make it a day or maximum 2 days in advance. Enjoy! 🙂
I plan to make this for Thanksgiving this year. If I make it the day before at what temperature should I reheat it and approximately how long will it take to cook through?
Lisa, you can definitely make this the day before. I would reheat this in the preheated oven at 350 F for at least 40 minutes, maybe longer. Depends on your individual oven and the size of the butternut squash.
I instantly loved the beauty of your pics so I made it and LOVED it! However, how do you suggest plating it if you're doing it as a side dish? Do you slice it and serve it? Or do you just put a big spoon in for family style?
Meryl, I am glad you loved this dish! ❤️ As a side dish, I would serve this as is and let the host or the guests slice each butternut squash half into 3 or 4 smaller slices right before adding it to their individual plates - otherwise, I am afraid, the stuffing will fall out if pre-sliced.
Another solution could be serving each stuffed half pre-sliced but in individual deep small bowls (like cereal bowls).
Do you cut out the squash after cooking, add to the sausage stuffing then stuff the squash ?
Donna, yes, you can add the scooped-out cooked squash into the sausage mixture. Or, you can add the scooped-out cooked squash into the largest cavities and then top with the sausage mixture.
That answers my question, haha. Thanks!
Awesome. Hania, I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I did! 🙂
Hi Julie. I made this butternut squash recipe exactly as written and it was unbelievably good! Definately a dish I will be making for Christmas dinner. Thank you so much for introducing me to these recipes. I look forward to trying as many as I can.
Anne, I am so glad you found my site and eare enjoying my recipes (starting with this one)! 🙂 I hope you love my other recipes as much as this one! ❤️
Saw this on Instagram and it looked amazing, so I had to try! It was a huge hit with my family and I’ll be adding it to the rotation! I already had walnuts, so I substituted them for the pecans and added one of the last sweet red peppers from this year’s garden. So delicious!
Carley, I am so glad you found this recipe and loved it! ❤️ Walnuts and sweet red pepers are a great addition!
How do you think it would taste without the sausage (vegetarian guest)? Filling enough as an entre??
Joyce, for a vegetarian version, I suggest one of these options:
1) Cook chopped portobello mushrooms with olive oil, minced garlic, Italian seasoning, smoked paprika, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Use that instead of sausage.
2) Use plant-based sausage, such as Beyond Meat Italian Sausage.
I hope you vegetarian guest enjoys this recipe!
Thank you for sharing this option! I have a couple of vegetarians at our Thanksgiving table and I think they would love this!
Kristyn, awesome! Glad you found my tips helpful! ❤️
This looked so great that I had to try it. I made my own Italian Sausage since I had some lean pork sausage. I also added some sautéed mushrooms to the sausage mixture. It was sooo good. Since I only bought one squash, I had half of the sausage mixture left. My plan is to use it in taco shells tomorrow with shredded lettuce, tomatoes and avocados.
Marcia, thank you for such a detailed and thoughtful comment! ❤️ Love the addition of mushrooms to your homemade Italian sausage. ❤️
This looked so great that I had to try it! I made my own Italian sausage since I had some lean pork sausage. I also added some sautéed mushrooms to the sausage mixture. It was sooo good. Since I only bought one squash, I had half of the sausage mixture left. My plan is to use it in taco shells tomorrow with lettuce, tomatoes and avocados.
Why do you not suggest sweet sausage?
Ileana, I think because the butternut squash and cranberries are sweet, the spicy Italian sausage works the best here. I even had a couple of readers comment that they did not like this recipe (and they did use sweet sausage).
So, those are the considerations, but everybody is different, you might like this with the sweet sausage.
Thank you!!!! I will try it with regular sausage!
Enjoy! Let me know how it turns out! 🙂
This is excellent recipe. It is a side dish, but it is a meal all by itself. I sprinkle a brown sugar on top.
Thank you, Thelma! I love a sprinkle of brown sugar on top!
I was fortunate to have squash plants germinate in my garden this year. The seeds from my compost pile germinated in the garden and I left the plants not actually sure what they were as they looked similar to cucumber leaves. I was so pleasantly surprised when I saw the squash forming. Harvested some yesterday and made your recipe. It was sublime! The spicyness of the sausage and the pop of cranberry was such a nice contrast in flavors. I incorporated the squash that was removed into the filling. This would be a wonderful side dish cut into wedges to serve at a Thanksgiving feawasst and the best part is that these can be made ahead and just reheated when the turkey is out if the oven resting. A keeper for sure!
Wow, Nancy, I love reading comments like this - with the story behind it. Glad you inadvertently grew butternut squash in your garden. 🙂 It's such a tasty, healthy, and beautiful vegetable! And, yes, this recipe will make a great side dish for Thanksgiving! 🙂
This was so yummy!!! Definitely it will become a favorite in my recipe notebook. We loved it. We enjoyed the leftovers just as much too!!!
Jackie, thank you for taking the time to share this wonderful feedback - I really appreciate it! ❤️
Hi Julia,
I just finished reading the recipe and noticed there are SEVERAL inquiries as to why you don’t incorporate the squash flesh back into the filling mixture. Would you please respond? I’m puzzled along with others!
Thanks so much.
Jody, you incorporate the scooped-out cooked squash in 2 ways:
1) Mix it with the sausage mixture.
2) Add the scooped-out cooked squash into the largest cavities of the butternut squash and then top with the sausage mixture.
I’m glad I read the comments because I don’t see where it says to add the squash into the sausage mixture! Do you think you should correct that?
Any suggestion on what to use for crunch if you cannot use any nuts due to allergies?
Sarah, you can try adding toasted pumpkin seeds (if you're not allergic to those).