Sausage and Apple Stuffed Squash
My daughter’s boss is quite the gardener and he gifted me with some homegrown squash… so I came up with this recipe for Sausage and Apple Stuffed Squash đŸ™‚
Probably should have saved him some, but this was devoured in record time by my family đŸ˜‰
SOOO many flavors going on… sweet apple and cranberries, savory sausage, salty feta, the crunch of the pecans was a nice touch, and juuuust a hint of spice from the red pepper flakes.
Each bite was unique depending on what you all could fit on your fork.
How to Make Sausage and Apple Stuffed Squash
Start by cutting the squash in half.
I had the best luck piercing around it with a sharp knife and that made cutting it in half a little easier.
This was the homegrown squash I mentioned earlier, but you could use spaghetti squash or butternut squash.
Or acorn squash would be amazing, but since those are smaller I would use two of them.
Scoop out the seeds and drizzle with olive oil and add kosher salt and pepper.
Then place them cut side down on a baking sheet.
And into a 400 degree oven for 45 minutes to an hour, depending on the size.
While the squash cooks in the oven, make the delicious stuffing.
You’ll need Italian sausage, apple, spinach, cranberries, fresh thyme, pecans, and feta cheese.
First set a skillet over medium heat and add some olive oil and half pound ground Italian sausage.
My sausage came in a casing, so I cut the casing off and only used the ground sausage.
Cook the sausage 4 to 5 minutes, breaking it apart as it cooks.
And then add a diced apple, two cups of chopped spinach, kosher salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes.
Let the apples and spinach cook with the sausage for another 4 to 5 minutes.
Then add some dried cranberries, chopped pecans, fresh thyme, and a little water.
And cook just one more minute.
Just the stuffing on it’s own was fabulous!
Stuff as much as you can fit into the squash.
If you have some leftover just snack on it or serve on the side… it for sure will not go to waste đŸ˜‰
Next, top the stuffed squash with crumbled feta or goat cheese.
And bake in the 400 degree oven for just 10 more minutes.
Sausage and Apple Stuffed Squash makes for quite the showstopping presentation!
It was difficult waiting for this to cool before digging in.
The perfect bite had some of the fresh squash along with a little bit of all the stuffing components.
I cut each in half, so this served four people.
If you like Sausage and Apple Stuffed Squash, you might also like these recipes…
Spaghetti Squash Turkey Taco Boats
Sausage and Feta Stuffed Peppers
Sausage Sweet Potato and Apple Hash
Pork Burgers with Apple and Gouda
.
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Sausage and Apple Stuffed Squash
Sausage and Apple Stuffed Squash has sausage, apple, cranberries, and pecans all stuffed in roasted squash for a delicious and healthy dinner
Ingredients
- 1 butternut or spaghetti squash (or 2 acorn squash)
- olive oil, kosher salt, pepper
- 1/2 pound ground Italian sausage
- 1 apple (I used Honeycrisp) diced
- 2 cups chopped fresh spinach
- crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries
- 1/4 cup pecans
- 1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup crumbled feta or goat cheese
Instructions
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Cut the squash in half lengthwise. I used a sharp knife to pierce around the squash and then carefully cut in half. Scoop out the seeds in the center.
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Drizzle olive oil and sprinkle kosher salt and pepper on the squash, place the two halves cut side down on a baking sheet. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour depending on the size of the squash.
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Set a skillet over medium heat and add some olive oil and the ground sausage. Cook 4 to 5 minutes, breaking it apart as it cooks, and add the diced apple, spinach, kosher salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes. Cook 4 to 5 more minutes. Add the cranberries, pecans, fresh thyme, and water. Cook 1 more minute.
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Flip the squash over and stuff the sausage and apple mixture in the squash. Sprinkle the feta or goat cheese over top. Bake in the 400 degree oven for 10 more minutes.
Note: If all of the sausage apple mixture does not fit, just serve the remaining mixture on the side.
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