Description
This Apple Sausage Stuffed Butternut Squash With Pecans and Cranberries is the ultimate cozy fall dinner—sweet, savory, hearty, and bursting with flavor. Roasted squash halves are filled with sausage, apples, spinach, pecans, and tart cranberries for a comforting dish that looks stunning on the table and tastes even better.
Ingredients
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2 medium butternut squash (about 2.25 lbs each)
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Olive oil
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Salt and pepper
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1 lb sausage (sweet Italian, turkey, or ground beef)
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1 onion, diced
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2–3 celery stalks, diced
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3 cloves garlic (or 3 tsp garlic paste)
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3–4 cups fresh spinach
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1 apple, diced (Gala, Honeycrisp, etc.)
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½ cup pecans, chopped
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½ cup dried cranberries
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Splash of chicken or vegetable stock
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Parmesan cheese, optional
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 400°F.
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Slice each butternut squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds.
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Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and place cut-side up on a baking sheet. Roast for 40–45 minutes, or until tender.
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In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the sausage until no longer pink.
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Add onion, celery, and garlic; cook until softened.
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Stir in spinach and a splash of stock, cooking until wilted.
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Remove from heat and mix in the diced apple, pecans, and dried cranberries.
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Once squash is cool enough to handle, scoop out some flesh to create a well, leaving a ½–¾ inch border.
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Fill each squash half with the sausage mixture. Top with Parmesan if desired.
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Return to the oven and bake for 10 minutes to brown the tops. Serve warm.
Notes
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Use fresh spinach, not frozen, to avoid a watery filling.
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Leftover scooped squash can be used for soup or mashed squash.
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Walnuts can replace pecans.
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Ground turkey works great as a lighter substitute for sausage.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Category: Dinner, Main Dish
- Method: Roasted + Baked
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 stuffed squash half
- Calories: 510 kcal
- Sugar: 18 g
- Sodium: 870 mg
- Fat: 28 g
- Saturated Fat: 8 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 17 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 49 g
- Fiber: 8 g
- Protein: 22 g
- Cholesterol: 55 mg