Stuffed butternut squash with sausage, spinach, pecans, and cranberries is a delicious and hearty dish that is perfect for larger squashes. This recipe combines the sweet and nutty flavor of butternut squash with the savory goodness of sausage, the earthy taste of spinach, and the tartness of cranberries, creating a flavorful and satisfying meal.
To make this dish, start by preheating your oven to 400°F (200°C). Cut a large butternut squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Place the squash halves, cut side down, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Roast the squash in the preheated oven for about 40-50 minutes, or until tender when pierced with a fork.
While the squash is roasting, prepare the stuffing. In a large skillet, cook crumbled sausage over medium heat until browned and cooked through. Add chopped spinach and cook until wilted. Stir in chopped pecans and dried cranberries, and season with salt, pepper, and any other desired spices.
Once the squash is tender, remove it from the oven and let it cool slightly. Carefully scoop out some of the flesh from the center of each squash half, leaving a border around the edges. Mix the scooped-out squash flesh with the sausage mixture.
Fill each squash half with the sausage and vegetable mixture, packing it down gently. Return the stuffed squash to the oven and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes, or until heated through.
Remove the stuffed squash from the oven and let it cool for a few minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh parsley or thyme, if desired. This stuffed butternut squash makes a delicious and impressive main dish for any occasion.
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.
And fresh spinach and cook for another 5 minutes on medium heat until the spinach wilts.
Ad 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