Sausage Stuffed Butternut Squash- The Perfect Blend of Texture & Taste

Sausage stuffed butternut Squash is a comforting, hearty dish that combines roasted butternut squash’s natural sweetness with the savory flavors of sausage, spinach, apple, and nuts.

This perfect blend of textures and tastes creates a satisfying and wholesome meal for fall or winter. Whether served as a main course for weeknight dinners or a side dish on your holiday menu alongside other delicious side dishes, it’s a crowd-pleaser.

Sausage Stuffed Butternut SquashPhoto byGiangi's Kitchen - Giangi Townsend

The natural sweetness of the butternut squash pairs beautifully with the savory sausage filling, creating a delicious contrast of flavors. It’s also packed with hearty ingredients like spinach and nuts, making it both satisfying and wholesome.

Welcome Fall!

Morning crips air brings out the warm and cozy recipes, and to me, it is music to my ears. I love fall and winter cooking, and this squash recipe is the beginning of a great cooking season.

This can be served as a holiday side dish or main course for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and throughout the fall and winter seasons.

Why you will love this recipe

This dish is versatile – so you can easily customize it to your taste by adding cheese, walnuts, pecans, or different seasonings.

It is easy to prepare – visually stunning, and makes for a cozy, feel-good meal that is perfect for cooler weather!

The perfect combination – of comfort, nutrition, fiber, proteins, and gluten-free.

Holiday side or alternative – the perfect holiday recipe that can be enjoyed as a side or as an alternative meal.

Sausage Stuffed Butternut SquashPhoto byGiangi's Kitchen - Giangi Townsend

How can butternut squash be made easier to cut?

Cutting into butternut squash can be daunting, as the outer skin is quite hard to cut through easily.

I have found that boiling the squash for a few minutes softens the skin and makes it a lot more manageable. Bring a large pot of water to boiling, and gently drop your squash in.

Bring the water back to a boil. Please turn off the heat and let it rest in the water for a few minutes.

You can also use the microwave method by cutting off the end and microwaving it for 2 minutes.

Sausage Stuffed Butter Nut SquashPhoto byGiangi's Kitchen - Giangi Townsend

What kind of sausage to use?

I used hatch green chili pork sausage, which added lots of flavor and gave the squash a bit of a kick. You can use Italian sausage or any spicy sausage that you like.

Of course, if you do not like spicy sausage, use mild or sweet Italian sausage.

Chicken sausage can work well, too, with this recipe.

However, do remove the casing and crumble your sausage before cooking.

Since I combined it with the ground pork, I worked the sausage mixture before adding it to the skillet, making it easier to blend and cook.

Sausage Stuffed Butternut SquashPhoto byGiangi's Kitchen - Giangi Townsend

Ingredients needed to make this recipe

This is a short introduction. The ingredient list is also brief. It includes essential items that you may already have in your pantry. Please read the recipe for complete instructions.

Butternut squash – is rich in dietary fiber and a great source of vitamins A, B6, C, and E as well as minerals including magnesium, potassium, and manganese.

Olive oil – to brush over your squash before being roasted.

Pork sausage with hatch green chiles or Italian sausage – hatch green chiles are in season and I could not pass up the opportunity to enjoy them,

Ground pork – added another layer of richness to your meal.

Yellow onion and garlic – add a layer of flavor to your stuffing

Baby spinach—I used fresh spinach, which I added and cooked with the sausage. If you want to use frozen spinach, thaw it completely and drain any liquid before adding it to the skillet. Finely chopped Toscano kale is another option. Save a handful of spinach that you can add at the last minute to your apple sausage filling so it will be bright green.

Apple – Fiji apple is rich and cooks beautifully. I wash, peel, core and chop in little pieces. Adds such a beautiful flavor to the butternut squash recipe.

Fresh rosemary – My herb of choice and the richness of the oils bring forward all the flavors

Almonds – my favorite fall nuts, and I could not wait to add them to this dish. It gives it a crunchy bite, and the longer it sits with all the other ingredients, the richer in flavor it becomes.

Steamed chestnuts – Add sweetness to the apple sausage filling. Starting to be on our grocery shelfs and I always have a couple of jars hiding just in case I get a craving or want to add it to my recipes.

Dried Cranberries – bring sweetness to all the other ingredients.

Salt and black pepper – your seasonings.

Brandy – yes, I used brandy. You will be amazed how two tablespoons bring out all the flavors above and since the alcohol will be burned out, the essence of the brandy will infuse the sausage and apples wonderfully. A must-try, you will welcome me later. Cognac or whisky can be used instead, and you can also skip it if you wish.

Sausage Stuffed Butternut SquashPhoto byGiangi's Kitchen - Giangi Townsend

How to roast Butternut Squash

Start with this step, as it will take longer to cook.

• Preheat the oven.
• Slice the butternut squash in half lengthwise. More about this is in the Pro Tips section.
• Scoop out the seeds with a spoon.
• Oil it lightly and season generously each half with salt and pepper.
• Place cut side down on parchment paper on a baking sheet and bake for 40 to 45 minutes.

How to Make Stuffed Butternut Squash

While you are waiting for the squash to roast, it is time to start working on the stuffing.

• Remove the sausage from the casing and pull it apart. Add the sausage and the ground pork to a large skillet and break it up. Cook until slightly browned.

Sausage Stuffed Butternut SquashPhoto byGiangi's Kitchen - Giangi Townsend

• Add the chopped onions, garlic, I used a garlic press to make my life easier, and the spinach. Stir over medium heat and until the spinach are wilted.
• Add the chopped apples, rosemary, almonds, cranberries, and chestnuts, and cook until the apples are soft.

Sausage Stuffed Butternut SquashPhoto byGiangi's Kitchen - Giangi Townsend

• Add the brandy in the middle of the skillet and cook over medium heat until all the liquid evaporates. Set the stuffing for the butternut squash aside.
• Once the butternut squash halves are cooked, gently flip them over and remove some of the flesh to make room for the filling. You can save the flesh for soup or mashed potatoes.

Sausage Stuffed Butternut SquashPhoto byGiangi's Kitchen - Giangi Townsend

• Turn on the broiler and ensure the rack is about 6 to 7 inches from the heat source.
• If the filling is too cold, warm it up before placing it in the squash cavities.

Sausage Stuffed Butternut SquashPhoto byGiangi's Kitchen - Giangi Townsend

• Place your stuffed butternut squash under the broiler for up to 5 minutes or until golden on the top.
• Serve in large dishes with a border so all the filling will stay on your plate.

Sausage Stuffed Buttermilk SquashPhoto byGiangi's Kitchen - Giangi Townsend

Pro Tips

• Use parchment paper or aluminum foil on your baking sheet; this will prevent the butternut from sticking to the bottom of the pan while you roast it.
• If the butternut squash is too hard to cut up, I recommend boiling it in hot water for a couple of minutes to soften it out.
• Save the scoop flesh to make butternut squash soup or added it to your mashed potatoes.
• The time indicated for baking is based on my oven. Please modify the baking time according to your oven and the altitude of where you live.
• When spinach cooks, it looks dark and unappealing. I kept a handful of spinach aside and added it at the last minute to the skillet. It cooked until gently wilted but did not lose its green color. That is a bit more pleasant to the eye, and the little ones will not curl up their noses at it.

What dishes can you serve alongside?

This dish is rich in itself if enjoyed as a whole dinner, therefore a light butter lettuce salad would work beautifully alongside.

Get Creative With Variations

With this recipe, you can let your imagination go wild and create your version.

While apples and sausage are one of the best combinations of flavor, switch up the ingredients to your liking. Here are a few suggestions:

• Kale instead of spinach
• Raisins or dried cherries instead of cranberries
• Shallots instead of the yellow onion
• Ground turkey in place of the sausage
• Ground beef instead of the ground pork

Sausage Stuffed Butternut SquashPhoto byGiangi's Kitchen - Giangi Townsend

Ingredients needed to make this excellent Sausage Stuffed Butternut Squash

• 1 butternut squash, medium to large
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 pork sausage with hatch green chiles, or Italian spicy sausage
• ½ pound ground pork
• ½ yellow onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 cups baby spinach
• 1 apple, peeled, cored and chopped
• ½ teaspoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons Brandy
• ¼ cup almond, chopped
• ½ cup steamed chestnuts, chopped
• ⅓ cup dried cranberries
• salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 400°F.
• With a very sharp knife, slice the butternut in half lengthwise. Scoop the seeds out of the butternut squash with the help of a spoon. Lightly oil the butternut squash and season generously with salt and pepper.
• Lay the butternut squash, cut side down on a baking sheet, and bake for 40 to 55 minutes.
• In a skillet, add the sausage and the ground pork to a sauté pan over medium heat. Use a spatula to break up the sausage and cook until slightly browned.
• Add the onion, garlic, and spinach and stir for 3 to 4 minutes until the spinach is wilted.
• Add the apples, rosemary, almond, cranberries, and chestnut and cook until the apples have softened. Add the brandy and cook over medium heat until all the liquid has evaporated. Set the stuffing for butternut squash aside.
• When the butternut squash halves are cooked, remove them from the oven, flip them over and remove some of the flesh to make room for the filling. Save the removed flesh to make mashed squash later.
• Turn on the broiler. Fill the butternut squash with the apple sausage filling and place it under the broiler, 6 -inches away from the heat source, and broil the filled butternut squash for up to 5 minutes or until golden on the top.

If you enjoy this sausage-stuffed, butternut squash recipe, you may want to try my other recipes.

Pomegranate, Acorn Squash, Arugula Salad

Delicata Squash, Radicchio, and Garbanzo Salad

Green Acorn Squash with Honey Vinaigrette

Penne Pasta with Sausage, Tomatoes and Potatoes

Do you like this recipe?

~ I invite you to visit Giangiskitchen.com for the complete printable recipe, tips for my Sausage Stuffed Butternut Squash, and hundreds of easy dinner recipes.

~ Subscribe to my Newsletter and get my free weekly menu, recipes, and grocery list.

~ New to cooking and need help getting started? Giangi's Kitchen Back To Basics - Cooking 101 eBook is what you need to achieve all your cooking dreams.

~ Come and cook along with me on Giangi's Kitchen YouTube channel.

Meet Chef Giangi

Sausage Stuffed Butternut SquashPhoto byGiangi's Kitchen - Giangi Townsend

I am a passionate cook, recipe developer, author, and food photographer with 14 years of food blogging experience. Inspired by my French and Italian heritage, I work with other chefs, both foreign and domestic, and have had countless discussions with chefs at famous restaurants globally. I enjoy sharing these creative culinary delights in simple, straightforward, easy-to-understand recipes.