This Stuffed Butternut Squash is the ultimate cozy fall or holiday dish! Hearty, flavorful, and packed with seasonal ingredients. The combination of wild rice, spicy turkey sausage, apple, walnuts, and cranberries creates a perfect balance of savory and sweet. Bonus: It’s a gorgeous centerpiece for your holiday table or an elevated weeknight dinner that feels special but is surprisingly simple to make.

Let’s get into the recipe…

 

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Erika Fox Silverman (@eatwitherikaa)

Stuffed Butternut Squash

Ingredients

• 4 small to medium butternut squash, sliced in half lengthwise
• 1 cup wild rice
• 1 lb spicy turkey sausage, cut into small pieces
• 1 head celery, chopped
• 10 oz cauliflower florets, finely diced
• ½ onion, diced
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 apple, diced
• ½ cup walnuts, chopped
• ⅓ cup dried cranberries
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Drizzle the butternut squash with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Place cut-side down on a baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes.
2. Cook the wild rice according to package directions.
3. Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the turkey sausage and cook until mostly browned, then remove from the pan and set aside.
4. Add the onion and celery to the pan and cook for about 3 minutes. Stir in the cauliflower, rosemary, thyme, and garlic powder. Sauté until the vegetables are tender, then add the sausage back in and cook for another 3–5 minutes, or until the sausage is fully cooked.
5. In a large mixing bowl, combine the sausage mixture, wild rice, apple, walnuts, and cranberries. Mix well to combine.
6. Remove the squash from the oven and scoop out a bit of the flesh from each half to create a bowl (you can stir the extra squash into the filling or save it for another use).
7. Fill each squash half with the stuffing, then return to the oven and bake for 15–20 minutes, until heated through and golden on top.
8. Serve warm and enjoy!