Stuffed butternut squash is filled with only five ingredients but packed with flavor. The combination of sweet butternut squash, spicy Italian sausage, quinoa, and tangy goat cheese is the perfect protein-packed fall meal.
If you're looking for an easy weeknight dinner the whole family will love, you have to try this sausage and quinoa stuffed butternut squash.
This recipe only requires five main ingredients which makes it the perfect meal to whip up last minute.
The sweet butternut squash pairs perfectly with the spicy sausage and creamy goat cheese. It's the perfect combination of all my favorite fall flavors.
Jump to:
What You'll Learn In This Recipe
- How to cut and roast butternut squash.
- An easy way to garnish these squash boats for a beautiful presentation.
- A trick for adding additional flavor to quinoa.
If you enjoy learning ways to improve in the kitchen, sign up for my five day email series. I'll teach you all of my favorite tricks for becoming a better home cook.
Ingredients You Need
There are only five main ingredients you'll need for this stuffed butternut squash dish.
- Butternut squash: This ingredient is the star of the show. Choose a butternut squash that feels heavy for its size. The squash shouldn't have any cuts or bruises on the outside flesh.
- Melted butter: Ghee will also work in place of the butter.
- Quinoa: Any color of quinoa will work for this recipe. For extra flavor, cook the quinoa using chicken broth instead of water.
- Hot Italian sausage: The Italian sausage often has a casing around it. You'll need to remove the casing before cooking the sausage.
- Goat cheese: I love the creamy, tangy notes that goat cheese provides.
How To Make This Recipe
There are just a few steps you'll need to follow to make stuffed butternut squash boats.
1. Cut the butternut squash in half lengthwise. You'll need a sharp chef's knife and a little arm strength. Then, scoop the seeds out of both halves of the squash.
2. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper, and place the butternut squash flesh side up. Brush melted butter onto the butternut squash using a silicone spatula. Season with salt and pepper to add flavor along the way.
Place the squash in a preheated 400°F oven for 1 hour to roast.
3. Next, cook the quinoa according to the package instructions. You can use water or chicken stock to cook the quinoa.
4. While the squash is roasting, we're also going to cook the Italian sausage. Remove the casing from the sausage. Then, to a heated skillet, add the Italian sausage, and break it into crumbles with a wooden spoon.
The sausage is fully cooked once no pink remains.
5. Now that all the components are ready, it's time to make the squash stuffing. Add the quinoa, Italian sausage, and crumbled goat cheese to a mixing bowl. Stir it all up until everything is combined.
6. At this point, the squash should be fully roasted. Take it out of the oven and test the flesh by sticking it with a knife. If you can poke the knife through the squash, it's fully cooked.
7. Allow the squash to cool for about 10 minutes or until it's cool enough to handle. Slightly mash the flesh of the squash with a fork to create room for the stuffing.
8. Layer the quinoa, sausage, and goat cheese mixture on top of the squash boats.
Expert Tips
- For a fancy presentation, garnish the butternut squash with a few sprigs of thyme.
- If you really enjoy the sausage and quinoa stuffing, you can double the amount of these ingredients for additional stuffing.
- This recipe makes four servings. I like to cut each of the squash boats in half before serving.
Recipe FAQs
A large butternut squash takes about 1 hour to roast in a 400°F oven.
You can test that the butternut squash is done roasting by sticking a knife in the flesh. If you can poke the knife through the flesh, it's fully cooked.
This stuffed butternut squash looks beautiful plated on a serving tray and garnished with some sprigs of thyme.
More Fall Dinner Recipes
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐rating in the recipe card below. Don't forget to follow along on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and Pinterest for more recipes.
Stuffed Butternut Squash Boats (5 Ingredients)
Equipment
- small pot
Ingredients
- 1 large butternut squash
- 2 tablespoons butter melted
- salt and pepper
- ½ cup quinoa
- ½ pound hot Italian sausage
- 4 ounces goat cheese
Instructions
- Heat oven to 400°F.
- Cut the butternut squash in half lengthwise. Remove the seeds from each half using a spoon.
- Place the butternut squash flesh side up on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Brush melted butter on the flesh of each side of the squash. Season with salt and pepper. Place in the oven to roast for 1 hour or until you can poke a knife through the flesh.
- Meanwhile, cook quinoa according to package instructions.
- Remove the casing from the Italian sausage. Add the sausage to a heated skillet and break it into crumbles using a wooden spoon. Cook until no pink remains and the sausage is cooked through.
- Crumble the goat cheese into small bites. Mix the quinoa, Italian sausage crumbles, and goat cheese together in a mixing bowl.
- Slightly mash the flesh of the squash with a fork to create ample room for the stuffing. Add the quinoa, sausage, and goat cheese mixture on top of the mashed squash.
Nikki
I keep meaning to leave a comment on this recipe because it has quickly become on of my favorite fall meals. Minimal ingredients and SO MUCH flavor. I'm going to keep making it until they stop selling butternut squash this season haha.