Sausage Stuffed Butternut Squash

Sausage Stuffed Butternut Squash turns two roasted squash halves into a full dinner, with Italian sausage, wild rice, mushrooms, and dried cranberries packed right into the shells. It is the kind of stuffed butternut squash that works on a busy weeknight and still looks like a holiday centerpiece.

The squash roasts on a cast iron sheet pan while the filling browns in a cast iron skillet, so the whole thing leans on the cookware that does sweet and savory best. Italian sausage is one of our favorite proteins to build a meal around, and if you love it too, try our Sausage Stuffed Peppers next. When the weather turns cold, our Sausage Butternut Squash Tortellini Soup uses the same sweet squash and sausage pairing in a bowl.

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What Makes this Stuffed Butternut Squash Different

Most stuffed butternut squash recipes reach for brown rice or quinoa. We use wild rice for a nuttier, chewier bite that holds up against the sausage instead of going mushy. If you love that grain as much as we do, our Dutch Oven Chicken and Wild Rice Soup puts it to work in a cozy bowl.

The seasoning is where this one earns its keep. Curry powder, cinnamon, and a pinch of cayenne are not there to make it spicy. They deepen the savory side and sharpen the contrast with the squash's natural sugars and the maple. The result is balanced and warm, not hot.

Cast iron gives you control from start to finish. You get a hard roast on the sheet pan for caramelized edges, a real sear on the sausage in the skillet, then everything bakes back together in the shells.

Recipe Ingredients for Stuffed Butternut Squash

• Butternut Squash — pick two of equal size so they roast at the same rate. Leave the skin on; it holds the shell together.
• Sweet Italian Sausage — sweet blends best with the maple and cranberries. Use hot or spicy if you want more edge.
• Wild Rice — cook it ahead. About ¾ cup dried yields the 1 ½ cups cooked you need.
• Button Mushrooms — diced small so they melt into the filling. Cremini work too.
• Dried Cranberries — the sweet-tart pop. Diced apple is a good swap (see the FAQs).
• Maple Syrup and Olive Oil — brushed on the squash; the oil prevents scorching and the maple coaxes out the sweetness.
• Aromatics and Seasonings — onion, granulated garlic, fresh sage, thyme, and parsley, plus curry, cinnamon, cayenne, salt, and pepper.

See the recipe card below for exact measurements.

How to Make Sausage Stuffed Butternut Squash

Here is a quick overview with step photos. The full recipe with exact measurements is in the recipe card at the end of this post.

1. Step 1: Prep the squash. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Halve each squash lengthwise with a sharp knife, scoop out the seeds, and discard them. Do not peel the squash.

2. Step 2: Brush and roast. Brush the squash with olive oil, then maple syrup, and season with salt and pepper. Roast on a lined cast iron sheet pan for 30 to 45 minutes until softened.

3. Step 3: Brown the sausage. Crumble the sausage into a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat, add the diced onion, and cook about 4 minutes.

4. Step 4: Add the mushrooms. Stir in the diced mushrooms and cook until softened and the meat is cooked through, then drain any renderings.

5. Step 5: Season the filling. Reduce to medium heat and stir in the curry, cinnamon, cayenne, granulated garlic, salt, pepper, and fresh herbs.

6. Step 6: Add cranberries and wild rice. Mix in the dried cranberries and cooked wild rice, then stir and warm everything through.

7. Step 7: Fold in the squash. Scoop the roasted flesh from the shells, keeping the skins intact, dice it, and fold it into the filling.

8. Step 8: Stuff the shells. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper, then spoon the filling into the hollowed squash halves.

9. Step 9: Final bake. Return the stuffed halves to the 400°F oven and bake for 30 minutes.

10. Step 10: Serve. Serve hot. Leftover filling keeps in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Variations and Substitutions

• Meat: country pork sausage or kielbasa; chicken or turkey sausage to lighten it up; hot or spicy sausage for heat. Our Sausage Peppers and Rice Skillet is another easy way to use a pound of sausage.
• Grain: cooked brown or white rice; orzo if gluten is not a concern.
• Vegetables: stir in baby spinach or kale; swap button mushrooms for cremini.
• Seasonings: smoked paprika, red pepper flakes, or ground chipotle in place of the cayenne; dried herbs for fresh; minced fresh garlic for granulated.
• Other squash: acorn or spaghetti squash both work (see the FAQs).

Expert Tips

• Use equal-size squash so the halves roast evenly and finish at the same time.
• Soften a stubborn squash by microwaving it 2 to 3 minutes (or a quick boil) before cutting. It makes the knife work much safer.
• Watch for "squash hands." Raw butternut sap can irritate skin, so wear gloves or wash and moisturize promptly.
• Line the pan so the maple does not harden onto your cast iron sheet pan.
• Wild rice math: about ¾ cup dried yields the 1 ½ cups cooked you need.

What to Serve with Stuffed Butternut Squash

This is a full meal, so keep the sides light. A simple green salad with a sharp vinaigrette, a hunk of crusty bread, or roasted Brussels sprouts all round it out without competing. For a holiday spread, set it beside the turkey as a hearty, vegetable-forward main, especially with a meatless filling swap.

Stuffed Butternut Squash FAQs

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5 from 19 votes

Sausage Stuffed Butternut Squash

Light yet hearty, Sausage Stuffed Butternut Squash is a complete meal with Italian sausage, wild rice, and more cooked in the squash shells.

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings: 4 people

Calories: 867kcal

Author: Ned Adams

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Equipment

• ▢
  12-inch cast iron skillet
• ▢
  Cast iron baking sheet or 15-inch cast iron skillet

Ingredients

Squash

• ▢ 2 butternut squash halved, de-seeded
• ▢ 1 teaspoon olive oil brushed over squash
• ▢ 1 teaspoon maple syrup brushed over squash
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon salt +/- to taste
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon pepper +/- to taste

Stuffing

• ▢ 1 lb sweet Italian sausage casings removed
• ▢ 1 onion small, diced
• ▢ 8 oz button mushrooms diced
• ▢ ½ teaspoon curry powder
• ▢ ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon granulated garlic
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt +/- to taste
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon black pepper +/- to taste
• ▢ 1 tablespoon fresh sage minced
• ▢ 1 tablespoon fresh thyme minced
• ▢ 2 tablespoon parsley chopped
• ▢ 1½ cups wild rice cooked
• ▢ ½ cup craisins

US Standard - Metric

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Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Using a very sharp knife, slice the squash in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds and pulp and discard it. Do not peel butternut squash.
• Brush the squash generously with olive oil then the maple syrup. Place on a cast iron baking sheet lined with either foil or parchment paper. Add salt and pepper.
• Bake until softened, can be 30 to 45 minutes, depending on how squash thickness.
• Slice open the sausage links lengthwise and crumble into a large skillet on medium high heat. Add the diced onion. Cook until mostly done, about 4 minutes.
• Add the diced mushrooms and continue to cook until the vegetables have softened and the meat has cooked through. Drain any renderings.
• Reduce to medium heat. Stir in the all the seasonings and herbs. .
• Mix in the dried cranberries and cooked wild rice. Stir well and allow it all to warm through.
• Once the butternut squash has roasted, remove it from the oven and allow it to cool slightly, enough to touch and cut. Remove the squash meat keeping the skins intact. Dice the roasted squash and mix it to the meat mixture.
• Taste the mixture, add any more salt and pepper as needed. Spoon the sausage filling into the hallowed shells of the squash halves.
• Return to the preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes. Once done, serve immediately and enjoy these stuffed roasted butternut squash halves.

Notes

• Use equal-size squash. They roast evenly and finish at the same time.
• Soften a stubborn squash. Microwave 2 to 3 minutes (or a quick boil) before cutting to make the knife work safer.
• Watch for squash hands. Raw butternut sap can irritate skin; wear gloves or wash and moisturize promptly.
• Line the pan. Keeps the maple from hardening onto your cast iron sheet pan.
• Wild rice math. About ¾ cup dried yields the 1 ½ cups cooked you need.

Nutrition

Calories: 867kcal | Carbohydrates: 109g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 38g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 17g | Cholesterol: 86mg | Sodium: 1291mg | Potassium: 2136mg | Fiber: 14g | Sugar: 24g | Vitamin A: 40183IU | Vitamin C: 90mg | Calcium: 249mg | Iron: 6mg

Dutch Oven Daddy is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.

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