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Apple Sausage Stuffed Butternut Squash

Apple sausage stuffed butternut squash with roasted orange squash bowls and a savory sausage-apple filling. Roasted until tender, then stuffed and baked again so the filling heats through and the top is cozy and flavorful.
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Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 50 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Calories: 380
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Butternut squash
  • 2 butternut squash medium, halved and seeded
Filling base
  • 1 lb breakfast sausage
  • 2 apples diced
  • 1 onion small, diced
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp fresh sage chopped
  • 0.25 cup dried cranberries
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Roast the squash
  1. Brush the butternut squash halves with 2 tbsp olive oil, then season generously with salt and pepper. Roast at 400°F for 35-40 minutes until tender, aiming for a fork-tender texture.
  2. Roast the squash cut-side down first on a sheet pan so it cooks faster and more evenly, then leave it on the pan while you prepare the filling. Use the same 400°F oven time window until the squash is soft enough to scoop.
Make the sausage-apple filling
  1. Brown the breakfast sausage with the diced onion in a skillet over medium heat until cooked through. Continue stirring as the sausage crumbles so there are no large raw pockets.
  2. Add the diced apples and cook until slightly softened, stirring to coat them in the sausage drippings. Cook for a few minutes until the apples hold their shape but soften at the edges.
  3. Stir in the chopped fresh sage and dried cranberries and cook until fragrant. Keep stirring for about 1 minute so the sage blooms and the cranberries warm through.
Stuff and re-bake
  1. Scoop out a little squash flesh from each half to make room, keeping a sturdy shell. Leave enough squash so the bowls don’t collapse while baking.
  2. Fill each squash half with the sausage-apple mixture, mounding it so the tops are level to slightly domed. Pack gently so the filling stays in place.
  3. Return the stuffed squash to the oven and bake at 400°F for 10 more minutes to heat through. The filling should be hot and the squash should stay tender without drying out.

Notes

Pro tip: roast the squash cut-side down for faster, more even cooking before you flip or begin filling. Store leftovers in the refrigerator up to 3-4 days and reheat in a 350°F oven until warmed through; freezing is not recommended because the squash texture can turn watery. For a lighter option, use chicken or turkey breakfast sausage to reduce saturated fat while keeping the same stuffing method.