This Stuffed Butternut Squash is one of my go-to recipes when I have a bunch of family in town for the holidays. It’s a great way to sneak in veggies, but it still pleases the meat lovers. It’s versatile, too; it’s so easy to swap the Italian sausage with a vegetarian meat substitute! The stuffing is savory and cheesy, while the squash is perfectly soft and slightly sweet from the maple syrup marinade. It’s such an easy main or side dish, and everyone I make it for always loves it!
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What is Stuffed Butternut Squash?
Butternut squash is one of my favorite seasonal veggies. It’s delicious when roasted, mashed, or turned into butternut squash soup. But have you ever tried stuffing it? I’m telling you, it takes this humble veggie to a whole new level! I brush the squash halves with a maple syrup, olive oil, and garlic marinade before roasting until slightly tender. While that’s happening, I sauté celery, onion, seasonings, and ground mild Italian sausage. After mixing in some spinach and shredded cheese, I pile the filling into the roasted squash halves and bake until bubbly. The result is a perfect combination of savory and sweet—your holiday spread needs this!
Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this stuffed butternut squash recipe:
- Butternut Squash: I use two butternut squash (about 2 lbs each) for this recipe. You’ll need to slice them in half and remove the seeds before stuffing. However, unlike other stuffed butternut squash recipes I’ve tried, you don’t need to scoop out ANY flesh. We want to retain all that delicious squash flavor!
- Yellow Onion & Celery: Adds flavor and texture to the filling.
- Ground Mild Italian Sausage: Use mild, ground Italian sausage for this recipe for a nice, savory flavor. But if you prefer spicier, go ahead and use hot Italian sausage instead! Vegetarian? I’ve included some of my favorite alternatives below.
- Olive Oil: For sautéing the onion, celery, and ground sausage.
- Seasonings: Salt, chili flakes, poultry seasoning (a pre-mixed blend of herbs like thyme, sage, and rosemary), and black pepper amp up the flavor of the filling.
- Shredded Cheddar Cheese: I recommend shredding your own cheddar, if possible, as it melts more smoothly than pre-shredded cheese (which is usually coated in starch to prevent clumping).
- Spinach: I’m all about sneaking in extra veggies wherever I can! The spinach adds some extra nutrients and a pop of green color to this dish.
- Maple Marinade: Mix maple syrup, olive oil, minced garlic, salt, and pepper together and brush it over the squash before roasting. It tastes so much better than simply drizzling oil over the squash and adds a hint of sweetness!
Make It Vegetarian
If you don’t eat meat, you can swap out the ground sausage in this recipe for your favorite vegetarian alternative. Veggie ‘meat’ crumbles are an easy option (substitute the ground sausage with this on a 1:1 basis), or you could use cooked wild rice and chopped walnuts like in our stuffed acorn squash recipe!
Recipe Tips & Suggestions!
- I recommend slicing off the top of the squash to create a flat surface before cutting it in half, as advised in our how to cut butternut squash guide. It makes it much easier to cut through the squash!
- Be careful not to over OR under bake your butternut squash during the parbaking step. You want it to be slightly tender but not too soft or too hard.
- Don’t be afraid to overstuff your butternut squash! It’s meant to be a hearty, filling meal or side dish. I love how the filling mounds on top, and the cheese gets golden and crispy. You’ll divvy up the filling and cut the squash to portion it out to serve.
- Want to use a different type of squash? You can easily swap out butternut squash for other varieties like acorn, delicata, or spaghetti squash. I think the filling in this recipe would also work great in our stuffed zucchini boats! Just keep in mind the cooking time may need to be altered if using smaller or larger squash.
How to Serve
This recipe is more than enough to serve 8 people. Each squash half provides 2 servings, but you can absolutely serve the halves whole for a more generous portion for 4 people.
I’ll be serving it for my family with my shaved sprouts salad and a crusty roll for a delicious, veggie-packed meal this fall. However, I think you should make it for Thanksgiving this year and watch it steal the show! Load up your plate with turkey breast, roasted vegetables, mashed potatoes, and this stuffed butternut squash for the ultimate holiday feast!
Storage Instructions
Let your stuffed butternut squash cool before wrapping it in plastic wrap (or storing it in an airtight container). It should last up to 3-4 days in the refrigerator or 2-3 months in the freezer. Let it thaw completely overnight before reheating in the oven at 350F for about 30 minutes. Make sure the filling reaches an internal temperature of 165F before serving. Cover with foil if needed to prevent the top from browning too much, and keep in mind the texture may be slightly softer after freezing.
Stuffed Butternut Squash Recipe
Servings 8 servings (¼ squash per person)Ingredients
Stuffed Squash Ingredients
- 2 butternut squash (about 2 lbs each) ($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 ground mild Italian sausage ($3.75)
- 3 cups spinach ($0.99)
- 1 cup shredded cheddar, divided ($0.98)
Marinade Ingredients
- 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)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F. Cut butternut squash in half length-wise, leaving the skin on. You can cup off the stem to make it easier to cut in half. Seed squash and puncture sides with a fork.
- Whisk together maple syrup, olive oil, minced garlic, salt, and pepper.
- Brush the flesh of the squash with the maple marinade mixture.
- On a lined baking sheet, pre-bake the squash (before stuffing) for 35 minutes, until the flesh is soft and easily pierced with a fork but not falling apart or mushy. If the neck of the squash is still a bit raw, cook an additional 5 min.
- While the squash is pre-baking, prepare your filling: Combine olive oil, diced onion, diced celery, salt, chili flakes, poultry seasoning, and black pepper in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Cook until glossy and softened, about 8 minutes.
- Then, add the ground sausage to the pan and break it up with a spatula. Cook the sausage until completely browned.
- Stir in fresh spinach.
- Cook until spinach is wilted, a few minutes, and then add ½ cup of shredded cheddar cheese, stirring to combine.
- Stuff each cavity of butternut squash with ¼ of the filling. Top with the remaining ½ cup shredded cheese. These should be overly full!
- Once stuffed, bake for an additional 15-20 min until cheese on top is slightly browned and melted.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Equipment
- Baking Sheet
- Deep Stainless Steel Skillet
Nutrition
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how to make Stuffed Butternut Squash – step by step photos
Preheat oven to 400F. Cut 2 butternut squash in half length-wise, leaving the skin on. You can cup off the stem to make it easier to cut in half.
Seed squash and puncture sides with a fork.
Whisk together 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 mixture.
On a lined baking sheet, pre-bake the squash (before stuffing) for 35 minutes, until the flesh is soft and easily pierced with a fork but not falling apart or mushy. If the neck of the squash is still a bit raw, cook an additional 5 min.
While the squash is pre-baking, prepare your filling: Combine 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 large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Cook until glossy and softened, about 8 minutes.
Then, add 1 lb ground sausage to the pan and break it up with a spatula.
Cook the sausage until completely browned.
Stir in 3 cups fresh spinach.
Cook until spinach is wilted, a few minutes, and then add ½ cup of shredded cheddar cheese, stirring to combine.
Stuff each cavity of butternut squash with ¼ of the filling. Top with the remaining ½ cup shredded cheese. These should be overly full!
Once stuffed, bake for an additional 15-20 min until cheese on top is slightly browned and melted.
I think you should make this sausage stuffed butternut squash recipe for your next family gathering—it’s sure to be a hit!
I made this last night and it was amazing! I used chicken instead of sausage b/c I didn’t have sausage and it was still yummy. Will definitely make again, thank you Jess!
You’re welcome. I’m glad you liked it, Tanja. Awesome substitute with the chicken. Nice one!
So so good. I made this vegetarian style and replaced the sausage with beyond ground and it worked great.
Yum, perfect substitution, Nina!
This turned out great and was very easy to cook!
So glad you enjoyed! Thanks, Will.
Dear Budgetbytes:
This looks and sounds delicious. The recipe says, “1/4 serving and a scoop of the filling.” There isn’t a photo of the 1/4 serving, or the amount of a scoop. How do you divide it and serve it?
I’m guessing, slice the 1/2 piece of stuffed squash down the middle and that’s a serving? The amount of stuffing that’s already in the 1/4 slice serving, is that the scoop you’re referring to?
Thank you in advance.
Yes, you could just slice one of the halves down the middle. :) Enjoy!
Yes, just slice one of the cooked, stuffed halves down the middle to serve!
This looks really good. Can I substitute acorn squash with good results?
The filling should definitely work! We have this Stuffed Acorn Squash recipe if you want to reference it! https://www.budgetbytes.com/wild-rice-stuffed-acorn-squash/