Sausage Stuffed Butternut Squash

This hearty Sausage Stuffed Butternut Squash recipe is bursting with fall flavours. Sweet roasted squash is filled with savoury Italian sausage, earthy spinach, tender apples, tart cranberries, and crunchy pecans. It’s rich, colourful, and full of texture—the perfect holiday centerpiece or cozy dinner that feels both rustic and elegant.

When you think fall flavours, you might think of pumpkin spiced everything, baked apples, or cozy pears poached in cider. These flavours are fabulous, but for me… the vegetable of the season must be squash. They are incredibly versatile; think butternut or delicata squash for roasting, kabocha squash for steaming, and of course, spaghetti squash for a gluten free pasta substitute.

Sausage Stuffed Butternut Squash

Forget pumpkin season, let’s celebrate squash season! Switch the spice for savoury in this hearty and satisfying family dinner recipe. This meal is easy enough for weeknights but oh, so impressive for dinner parties with friends.

There are so many squash options this time of year, but butternut squash is the king of squashes. It roasts up beautifully with a sweet, nutty, and rich buttery flavour, hence the name! Butternut squash is creamy and smooth when halved and roasted but can also steamed or boiled in cubes to make a lovely purée.

For this butternut squash recipe, it is sliced in half lengthwise and roasted to tender perfection. But that’s not all… the BEST part is the Italian sausage filling!

The filling is savoury with a little spice (more if you use spicy Italian sausage), tartness from dried cranberries and apple, along with earthy spinach and Parmesan cheese. Mix the extra scooped squash into the filling and add chopped pecans for extra texture.

How to Choose a Butternut Squash

There are many butternut squash recipes out there. Choosing a squash depends upon how it will be cooked. For soup and purée recipes, choose large butternut squashes with a long neck (and smaller seed cavity). This squash shape will yield the most flesh.

However, for Stuffed Butternut Squash, choose a smaller portion-size appropriate squash with a smaller neck. The seed cavity easier to scoop out and able to hold more stuffing.

In general, look for a uniform tan or beige colour with no bruising or soft spots. The squash should be heavy for its size and have a dry brown stem.

Ingredients for Stuffed Butternut Squash

The filling is a tasty combination of Italian sausage and aromatics, dried and fresh herbs, spinach, nuts, cranberries, apple, and cheese. Though it’s delicious, this is one of those easily adaptable recipes you can change to suit your tastes. I make the filling a little bit differently each time!

• Butternut Squash
• Olive Oil
• Salt
• Black Pepper
• Italian Sausage
• Onion
• Garlic
• Apple
• Sage
• Baby Spinach
• Rosemary
• Cranberries
• Thyme
• Pecans
• Parmesan Reggiano

You will need two similar sized ‘portion size’ butternut squashes to make four servings. Feel free to double the recipe, if required.

If you can’t find loose Italian sausage meat, buy fresh Italian sausages and remove the meat from the casings before cooking. Feel free to spice it up by using spicy Italian sausage. Or make a vegetarian version by swapping the sausage for lentils, mushrooms, or a plant-based sausage.

Feel free to use fresh or dried herbs. Note that dried herbs like rosemary and sage often have a more pronounced flavour, so use a smaller amount of these dried herbs.

If you prefer to use fresh cranberries instead of dried, sauté them briefly with the onions and apples to soften and reduce tartness.

Instead of Parmesan Reggiano, try shredded Gruyère or Fontina for a creamier filling.

How to Make Stuffed Butternut Squash

The beauty of this recipe is you do not need to peel the butternut squash. The tough skin becomes the serving vessel! To begin, preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment or foil.

Next, brush the cut sides of the butternut squash with olive oil, then sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Place cut side down on the baking sheet and roast for 40–45 minutes, or until tender when pierced with a fork.

While the squash roasts, cook the sausage in a large skillet until browned, breaking it apart as it cooks. Remove meat from pan and set aside.

In the same skillet, sauté the onion over medium heat until golden, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more. Stir in the diced apple, thyme, sage, and red pepper flakes, cooking for 3–4 minutes until the apple softens slightly. Add the spinach and cook until wilted.

Return the sausage to the skillet, then stir in the cranberries, pecans, and Parmesan cheese. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Remove the roasted squash from the oven. Carefully flip over and scoop out some of the flesh, leaving about ½-inch border to create a shell. Stir the scooped-out squash into the sausage mixture.

Finally, fill each squash half generously with the stuffing (top with more cheese if desired) then return them to the oven and bake another 10 minutes to heat through.

Recipe Tips and Tricks

•  Toast the pecans first for extra flavour.
• Use fresh thyme if available—it brightens the dish.
•  Choose sweet apples like Honeycrisp or Gala to balance savory sausage.
•  Soak dried cranberries in warm water for 5 minutes to make them plumper.
•  Add a drizzle of maple syrup before serving for a sweet finish.
•  Use hot Italian sausage if you like extra spice.
•  Don’t over-scoop the squash—leave enough flesh for structure.
•  Broil the stuffed squash for a minute or two for a golden top.
•  Serve as a main dish with salad or as a hearty holiday side.
•  Double the recipe for a beautiful, crowd-pleasing dinner party dish.

Storing and Reheating the Leftovers

Store and leftover Stuffed Butternut Squash covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in the oven for best results

To make this recipe ahead of time you can roast the squash and prepare the filling a day ahead. Stuff and bake before serving.

Hi! I’m Bernice Hill, the heart and soul behind Dish ‘n’ the Kitchen. It is my pleasure to share easy to follow recipes that are delicious, nutritious, and approachable for the whole family.

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