This sausage and apple stuffed butternut squash is the perfect festive and healthy high protein breakfast option or delicious healthy Thanksgiving side dish.
Confession.
Before this recipe, I had never baked whole butternut squash. I always imagined it to be like spaghetti squash. Really hard to cut through, and almost not worth the effort, especially when you can buy pre-cut butternut squash for a reasonable price at the store.
But, on the other hand, I do LOVE stuffing squashes with all the things. As evidenced by the plethora of stuffed squash recipes here at HH like my meatball stuffed delicata squash boats, breakfast stuffed delicata squash, paleo sloppy joe stuffed acorn squash recipe, Pizza stuffed spaghetti squash, and shrimp enchilada stuffed spaghetti squash, to name a few!
Lucky for me, it turns out, just like the first time I baked chicken, roasting butternut squash is a delightfully easy experience with a great return on investment. Let me show you how easy it is!
How to Roast Butternut Squash
Butternut squash is relatively easy to cut apart. It’s not like spaghetti squash at all! Once you’ve cut it in half, scoop out the seeds and grease the flesh side with oil.
Then, you’ll bake it at 400F for 45-60 minutes or until it’s fork-tender. A little softer is always better in this case. When it’s done, you’ll have a beautiful Sunkist yellow-orange color that is slightly sweet and buttery tasting. It’s so easy!
Sausage & Apple Butternut Squash Filling
Making the filling while your butternut squash is roasting is also super easy! You’ll start by sauteing your onions and garlic, then add in sausage, apples, and spinach.
After that, it’s easy street. Once the squash has cooled a bit, you scoop out some of the butternut squash flesh, chop it, and toss it with your sausage and apple filling. Then you can fill both halves of your butternut squash for a beautiful, healthy thanksgiving side dish OR healthy breakfast option for the holiday/winter season.
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Sausage & Apple Stuffed Butternut Squash
This sausage and apple stuffed butternut squash is the perfect festive and healthy high protein breakfast option or delicious healthy Thanksgiving side dish.
Ingredients
- 1 Large Butternut Squash
- 1/2 Yellow Onion chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 T avocado oil
- 1 lb ground breakfast sausage chicken, turkey, or pork
- 2 gala apples chopped
- 1/4 tsp sage
- 5 ounces spinach (4-6 cups)
- 1/4 cup chopped pecans optional
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Wash and dry your butternut squash.
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Cut squash in half lengthways and remove seeds. Grease the flesh of the squash, then place each half face down on the baking sheet. Bake for 45-60 minutes or until fork-tender. In this recipe, slightly softer is better than firmer squash so cook it a few minutes extra if you need too.
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While the squash is roasting, make the sausage and apple filling. Chop onions and apples. Mince garlic. Then add 1 tablespoon avocado oil to the skillet with chopped onions and garlic. Saute on medium heat for one minute or until translucent and tender.
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Add sausage and sage to the skillet. Once you've broken up the sausage a bit, you can add the apples. Saute the mixture until the sausage is fully cooked and the apples are tender about 10 minutes.
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Mix in greens to the skillet, you may have to work in batches to get them all in. Saute until all the greens have been just wilted, then remove the mixture from the heat.
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When the butternut squash is done, allow it to cool slightly (turn it face up for faster cooling). Then, scoop out about one inch all the way around. I chose to scoop it out in large pieces that I could then cut up into cubes and toss in with the sausage and apple mixture. You could simply save it for later or discard it. Divide filling among the two squashes. Optional to top with pecans for a festive flare.
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