Stuffed Butternut Squash with Quinoa, Sausage & Cranberries

Stuffed Butternut Squash with Quinoa, Sausage & Cranberries is the most perfect Fall dish for an easy weeknight meal.

Stuffed Butternut Squash with Quinoa, Sausage & Cranberries

Winter squash is one of my favorite things, and we eat SO much butternut and acorn squash during the fall and winter months because of that. And I’ve cooked it just about every way I can think of. Pureed, roasted, on salads, in soups and stews, as breakfast, in risotto, you name it and I’ve done it with either butternut or acorn squash.

I love that butternut squash is so versatile, you can obviously use it in hearty, savory meals, but also sweeten it up too.

This dish is one of those meals that has it all. You’ve got a comforting roasted winter veggie, lean protein from the chicken sausage, fiber from the quinoa, leafy greens, and a little pop of sweetness from the cranberries. It is a crowd pleaser, to say the least.

Stuffed Butternut Squash with Quinoa, Sausage & Cranberries

And my favorite part is that the butternut serves as its own little bowl!

Serve this up as an easy weeknight meal, or even as a side dish on your Thanksgiving menu.

Stuffed Butternut Squash with Quinoa, Sausage & Cranberries

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Stuffed Butternut Squash with Quinoa, Sausage & Cranberries
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Stuffed Butternut Squash with Quinoa, Sausage & Cranberries

Ingredients

  • 3 small butternut squash
  • 3/4 cups uncooked quinoa
  • cups chicken broth
  • 1 lb ground chicken sausage
  • 2 cups kale, stems removed
  • ½ cup dried cranberries
  • 1-2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • salt & pepper

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line a large baking sheet with foil. With a sharp knife, carefully cut each butternut squash in half lengthwise. Then use a spoon to scoop out all of the seeds from the inside. Drizzle the cut side of each squash with olive oil and season with a pinch of salt and pepper. 
  • Place the squash cut side down on the baking sheet, and roast for about 30 minutes, until you can easily stick a knife all the way through.
  • While the squash is cooking, make the filling. Start by rinsing the quinoa with cold water in a fine mesh strainer. Then in a medium sized pot, combine the quinoa and broth. Put the pot over high heat until you bring the liquid to a boil. Once boiling, turn the heat down to low and let it simmer for about 20-25 minutes. 
  • Next, preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add 1 tbsp of olive oil to the pan. Add the chicken sausage, season with salt and pepper, and use a wooden spoon to stir occasionally until the meat is brown and cooked through. Once brown, drain off any excess oil or liquid from the meat, then add the kale. Stir frequently for about 1-2 minutes, until the kale is wilted. 
  • Remove the pan from the heat and add in the cranberries.
  • Once the quinoa is done and all of the liquid is absorbed, then add the quinoa to the sausage mixture and stir it all together. 
  • Once the butternut has cooked and cooled for a few minutes, it is time to assemble the meal. Before I transferred the filling, I scooped a little bit of the inside of the butternut out so that I would have more room for filling, then saved the rest for a later meal, but that step is optional. 
  • To assemble, spoon the quinoa mixture into each butternut squash until they are full. You will have some mixture left over to save for later. 
    Plate each butternut, serve and enjoy!

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