Sausage stuffed butternut squash with spinach and Parmesan cheese is a warm, hearty, cozy dinner for a chilly evening. Just a few basic ingredients needed, but you’ll get big flavor with this dish.

We had such a lovely fall weekend!

My son had a soccer game and for the first time, it was a little chilly! We also watched some football and did a family photo session. (My kids are 10 and 8 and this is the first time I've hired a photographer to take photos of our family. Whoops!)

We also had dinner with friends and did some around-the-house projects. Oh, and worked on their Halloween costumes. 😊

It was such a fun weekend, and I'm feeling relaxed, recharged and ready for the week ahead! Always a good way to start on Monday...

OK, let's talk food.

Previously, I’ve shared a stuffed butternut squash recipe with quinoa, mushrooms and spinach, which is great for a vegetarian dinner option.

And today’s recipe is similar to my sausage and kale stuffed spaghetti squash.

But we’re giving it a twist.

Sausage stuffed butternut squash with spinach is full of warm, hearty flavor and is easy to make with just 4 basic ingredients.

We’ve got cooked, crumbled turkey sausage bits with wilted, tender spinach that’s stuffed into a roasted butternut squash and topped with Parmesan cheese.

Tucking into this is like a little flavor explosion! It smells great as it’s cooking, too. And it’s got some delicious fall vibes.

This makes for a really easy family dinner on a chilly night.

And if you love butternut squash as much as I do, check out this roasted butternut squash apple soup, creamy butternut squash brown rice and kale and butternut squash mac and cheese.

Man, I sure do love fall foods. 🥰

Alright, back to the recipe at hand.

Let’s get cooking. Cause I’m getting hungry and this is gonna be so tasty!

Now, I’ve got some notes, tips and substitutions coming up below on how to make sausage and spinach stuffed squash. Just tryin’ to be helpful.

If you want to jump on down to the recipe, simply scroll right on through the rest of the text. The recipe card is near the bottom of the page, above the comments section.

Notes on making sausage stuffed butternut squash:

Sausage: Turkey sausage is my go-to. I love the hot one for the extra bit of spice, but a mild turkey sausage is fine, too. You could also use pork sausage.
Spinach: I prefer to use spinach because it wilts quickly, but you could use kale or Swiss chard for a heartier green if you prefer.
Squash: We’re using a butternut squash in this recipe, but you could certainly try it with acorn squash, spaghetti squash or another favorite fall or winter squash.
Parmesan cheese: This adds a savory, nutty, cheesy bite on top, but you can skip it if you need this to be dairy-free. Or you could use another cheese, like an Italian blend shredded cheese.

Lots of options to make it work for you and what you have on hand.

Here's a quick look at the different stages of making this recipe for those of you who are visual learners like me.

A quick note about servings:

I am able to super stuff my squash - even the small-ish one you see in these photos - and get all of the sausage and spinach stuffing into a single butternut squash. So you end up with two halves. You can use that to serve 3-4 people.

Or you could spread out the sausage mixture a bit more and stuff two squashes if you prefer and everyone gets their own half squash. Go with whatever works best for who you are serving.

OK, let’s tackle a frequently asked question. And the “hardest” part of this recipe.

How do you prep a butternut squash?

First, slice off the stem and the bottom end of the squash, so that both sides are flat.
Slice the squash in half vertically using a very sharp knife. Remove the seeds from the bottom half with a spoon and discard. (Or, save the seeds and roast them!)
Since we are roasting then stuffing our squash, we don’t need to peel the outer skin or do any additional cutting. It’s ready to pop in the oven.

However, when you scoop out the inner part of the cooked butternut squash, to be able to stuff it, you’ll be left with some extra roasted squash.

A few ways to use extra butternut squash:

- You could certainly mix it in with the rest of the stuffing to make a heartier filling. This would also help stretch the filling to fill 2 squashes.

- You may have enough to use for my butternut squash black bean quinoa burgers, which are really tasty and make a great lunch.

- Or you can just add some butter and seasonings to it and have a mashed squash side dish another day.

- I’ve also warmed it through in a skillet, added some spinach and made a fried egg to go on top for a savory breakfast. 👌

I hope you add this sausage stuffed butternut squash to your fall or winter menu soon. It’s a great meal to cozy up to on a cold day.

Enjoy!

XO,

Kathryn

P.S. If you do make this recipe, I'd love for you to leave a comment below or tag me on Instagram. I love seeing and hearing about your creations!

Yield: 3-4 servings

Sausage Stuffed Butternut Squash with Spinach

Name: Sausage Stuffed Butternut Squash with Spinach
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Yield: 3
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 medium butternut squash; 1 lb. turkey sausage (hot or mild), casings removed; 1 (5 oz.) bag baby spinach; 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil; Salt and pepper, to taste; 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Sausage stuffed butternut squash with spinach and Parmesan cheese is a warm, hearty, cozy dinner for a chilly evening. Just a few basic ingredients needed, but you’ll get big flavor with this dish.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients

1 medium butternut squash
1 lb. turkey sausage (hot or mild), casings removed
1 (5 oz.) bag baby spinach
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425.
Carefully cut the butternut squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Bake on a foil-lined baking sheet at 425 for 40-50 minutes, until tender.
Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the turkey sausage and cook, breaking it up with a spatula as it cooks, until it is cooked through and crumbled.
Add the spinach to the pan and stir until wilted and mixed in with the sausage, about 2-3 minutes. Set aside.
Once the butternut squash is cooked, let cool for a few minutes and then scoop out the inside section of the butternut squash flesh, leaving a ½-inch border all the way around. Reserve extra squash for another recipe (see notes).
Drizzle the squash with a teaspoon of olive oil and sprinkle with a little salt and pepper.
Fill each squash half with the sausage and spinach mixture. Top with the Parmesan cheese.
Return to the oven and continue to cook at 425 for another 10 minutes, until everything is warmed through and the cheese is melted.
Serve hot and enjoy!

Notes

Sausage: Turkey sausage is my go-to. I love the hot one for the extra bit of spice, but a mild turkey sausage is fine, too. You could also use pork sausage.

Spinach: I prefer to use spinach because it wilts quickly, but you could use kale or Swiss chard for a heartier green if you prefer.

Squash: We’re using a butternut squash in this recipe, but you could certainly try it with acorn squash, spaghetti squash or another favorite fall or winter squash.

Parmesan cheese: This adds a savory, cheesy bite on top, but you can skip it if you need this to be dairy-free. Or you could use another cheese, like an Italian blend shredded cheese.

Servings: You can super stuff your squash and get all of the sausage and spinach mixture into two halves and serve 3-4 people that way. Or you can divide the sausage and spinach mixture up into the halves of 2 whole squash and everyone can have their own half. Choose whatever works best for your group.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 307Total Fat: 17gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 115mgSodium: 1061mgCarbohydrates: 7gFiber: 2gSugar: 1gProtein: 31g