This Stuffed Butternut Squash is one among my go-to recipes when I’ve a bunch of household on the town for the vacations. It’s a nice strategy to sneak in veggies, nevertheless it nonetheless pleases the meat lovers. It’s versatile, too; it’s really easy to swap the Italian sausage with a vegetarian meat substitute! The stuffing is savory and tacky, whereas the squash is completely smooth and barely candy from the maple syrup marinade. It’s such a simple major or aspect dish, and everybody I make it for at all times loves it!
What’s Stuffed Butternut Squash?
Butternut squash is one among my favourite seasonal veggies. It’s scrumptious when roasted, mashed, or changed into butternut squash soup. However have you ever ever tried stuffing it? I’m telling you, it takes this humble veggie to a complete new degree! I brush the squash halves with a maple syrup, olive oil, and garlic marinade earlier than roasting till barely tender. Whereas that’s occurring, I sauté celery, onion, seasonings, and floor delicate Italian sausage. After mixing in some spinach and shredded cheese, I pile the filling into the roasted squash halves and bake till bubbly. The end result is an ideal mixture of savory and candy—your vacation unfold wants this!
Right here’s what you’ll must make this stuffed butternut squash recipe:
- Butternut Squash: I exploit two butternut squash (about 2 lbs every) for this recipe. You’ll must slice them in half and take away the seeds earlier than stuffing. Nonetheless, not like different stuffed butternut squash recipes I’ve tried, you don’t must scoop out ANY flesh. We need to retain all that scrumptious squash taste!
- Yellow Onion & Celery: Provides taste and texture to the filling.
- Floor Delicate Italian Sausage: Use delicate, floor Italian sausage for this recipe for a pleasant, savory taste. However should you favor spicier, go forward and use sizzling Italian sausage as a substitute! Vegetarian? I’ve included a few of my favourite options beneath.
- Olive Oil: For sautéing the onion, celery, and floor sausage.
- Seasonings: Salt, chili flakes, poultry seasoning (a pre-mixed mix of herbs like thyme, sage, and rosemary), and black pepper amp up the flavour of the filling.
- Shredded Cheddar Cheese: I like to recommend shredding your personal cheddar, if potential, because it melts extra easily than pre-shredded cheese (which is normally coated in starch to forestall clumping).
- Spinach: I’m all about sneaking in additional veggies wherever I can! The spinach provides some additional vitamins and a pop of inexperienced shade to this dish.
- Maple Marinade: Combine maple syrup, olive oil, minced garlic, salt, and pepper collectively and brush it over the squash earlier than roasting. It tastes so significantly better than merely drizzling oil over the squash and provides a touch of sweetness!
Make It Vegetarian
In the event you don’t eat meat, you may swap out the bottom sausage on this recipe in your favourite vegetarian different. Veggie ‘meat’ crumbles are a simple possibility (substitute the bottom sausage with this on a 1:1 foundation), or you possibly can use cooked wild rice and chopped walnuts like in our stuffed acorn squash recipe!
- I like to recommend slicing off the highest of the squash to create a flat floor earlier than slicing it in half, as suggested in our how one can reduce butternut squash information. It makes it a lot simpler to chop by means of the squash!
- Watch out to not over OR beneath bake your butternut squash in the course of the parbaking step. You need it to be barely tender however not too smooth or too arduous.
- Don’t be afraid to overstuff your butternut squash! It’s meant to be a hearty, filling meal or aspect dish. I like how the filling mounds on high, and the cheese will get golden and crispy. You’ll divvy up the filling and reduce the squash to portion it out to serve.
- Wish to use a distinct sort of squash? You’ll be able to simply swap out butternut squash for different varieties like acorn, delicata, or spaghetti squash. I feel the filling on this recipe would additionally work nice in our stuffed zucchini boats! Simply have in mind the cooking time could should be altered if utilizing smaller or bigger squash.
The right way to Serve
This recipe is greater than sufficient to serve 8 folks. Every squash half gives 2 servings, however you may completely serve the halves entire for a extra beneficiant portion for 4 folks.
I’ll be serving it for my household with my shaved sprouts salad and a crusty roll for a scrumptious, veggie-packed meal this fall. Nonetheless, I feel you must make it for Thanksgiving this 12 months and watch it steal the present! Load up your plate with turkey breast, roasted greens, mashed potatoes, and this stuffed butternut squash for the last word vacation feast!
Storage Directions
Let your stuffed butternut squash cool earlier than wrapping it in plastic wrap (or storing it in an hermetic container). It ought to last as long as 3-4 days within the fridge or 2-3 months within the freezer. Let it thaw utterly in a single day earlier than reheating within the oven at 350F for about half-hour. Be certain the filling reaches an inner temperature of 165F earlier than serving. Cowl with foil if wanted to forestall the highest from browning an excessive amount of, and have in mind the feel could also be barely softer after freezing.
Stuffed Butternut Squash Recipe
This straightforward Stuffed Butternut Squash recipe is crammed with Italian sausage, veggies, seasonings, and cheddar cheese. Good for the vacations!
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Stuffed Squash Elements
- 2 butternut squash (about 2 lbs every) ($5.12)
- 1 Tbsp olive oil ($0.19)
- 1 small yellow onion, diced (about 1 cup) ($0.70)
- 4 stalks celery, diced (about 1 cup) ($0.32)
- ½ tsp salt ($0.01)
- ¼ tsp chili flakes ($0.06)
- ½ tsp poultry seasoning ($0.11)
- ⅛ tsp freshly cracked black pepper ($0.01)
- 1 lb floor delicate Italian sausage ($3.75)
- 3 cups spinach ($0.99)
- 1 cup shredded cheddar, divided ($0.98)
Marinade Elements
- 2 Tbsp maple syrup ($0.48)
- 1 Tbsp olive oil ($0.19)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced ($0.12)
- ¼ tsp salt ($0.01)
- ⅛ tsp freshly cracked black pepper ($0.01)
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Preheat oven to 400F. Reduce butternut squash in half length-wise, leaving the pores and skin on. You’ll be able to cup off the stem to make it simpler to chop in half. Seed squash and puncture sides with a fork.
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Whisk collectively maple syrup, olive oil, minced garlic, salt, and pepper.
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Brush the flesh of the squash with the maple marinade combination.
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On a lined baking sheet, pre-bake the squash (earlier than stuffing) for 35 minutes, till the flesh is smooth and simply pierced with a fork however not falling aside or mushy. If the neck of the squash remains to be a bit uncooked, prepare dinner a further 5 min.
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Whereas the squash is pre-baking, put together your filling: Mix olive oil, diced onion, diced celery, salt, chili flakes, poultry seasoning, and black pepper in a big sauté pan over medium-high warmth. Cook dinner till shiny and softened, about 8 minutes.
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Then, add the bottom sausage to the pan and break it up with a spatula. Cook dinner the sausage till utterly browned.
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Stir in recent spinach.
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Cook dinner till spinach is wilted, a couple of minutes, after which add ½ cup of shredded cheddar cheese, stirring to mix.
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Stuff every cavity of butternut squash with ¼ of the filling. Prime with the remaining ½ cup shredded cheese. These needs to be overly full!
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As soon as stuffed, bake for a further 15-20 min till cheese on high is barely browned and melted.
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Serving: 1servingEnergy: 394kcalCarbohydrates: 28gProtein: 14gFats: 26gSodium: 759mgFiber: 5g
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how one can make Stuffed Butternut Squash – step-by-step images
Preheat oven to 400F. Reduce 2 butternut squash in half length-wise, leaving the pores and skin on. You’ll be able to cup off the stem to make it simpler to chop in half.
Seed squash and puncture sides with a fork.
Whisk collectively 2 Tbsp maple syrup, 1 Tbsp olive oil, 4 cloves minced garlic, ¼ tsp salt, and ⅛ tsp pepper.
Brush the flesh of the squash with the maple marinade combination.
On a lined baking sheet, pre-bake the squash (earlier than stuffing) for 35 minutes, till the flesh is smooth and simply pierced with a fork however not falling aside or mushy. If the neck of the squash remains to be a bit uncooked, prepare dinner a further 5 min.
Whereas the squash is pre-baking, put together your filling: Mix 1 Tbsp olive oil, 1 diced onion, 4 stalks diced celery, ½ tsp salt, ¼ tsp chili flakes, ½ tsp poultry seasoning, and ⅛ tsp black pepper in a big sauté pan over medium-high warmth. Cook dinner till shiny and softened, about 8 minutes.
Then, add 1 lb floor sausage to the pan and break it up with a spatula.
Cook dinner the sausage till utterly browned.
Stir in 3 cups recent spinach.
Cook dinner till spinach is wilted, a couple of minutes, after which add ½ cup of shredded cheddar cheese, stirring to mix.
Stuff every cavity of butternut squash with ¼ of the filling. Prime with the remaining ½ cup shredded cheese. These needs to be overly full!
As soon as stuffed, bake for a further 15-20 min till cheese on high is barely browned and melted.
I feel you must make this sausage stuffed butternut squash recipe for your subsequent household gathering—it’s positive to be a success!
