Stuffed Butternut Squash Recipe

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  Squash, Butternut(907g)
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  Olive oil(15g)

  Regular (not extra-virgin) olive oil for high-heat cooking. EVOO for dressings.

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  Yellow Onion(240g)
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  Celery(240g)
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  ½ tsp salt ($0.01)
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  Red pepper flakes(1g)
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  Poultry seasoning blend(3g)
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  ⅛ tsp freshly cracked black pepper ($0.01)
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  Italian Pork Sausage(454g)
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  Spinach(720g)
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  Cheddar Cheese(240g)
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  Maple syrup(30g)
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  Olive oil(15g)

  Regular (not extra-virgin) olive oil for high-heat cooking. EVOO for dressings.

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  Garlic(240g)
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  ¼ tsp salt ($0.01)
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  ⅛ tsp freshly cracked black pepper ($0.01)

Instructions

1. 1Preheat oven to 400F. Cut butternut squash in half length-wise, leaving the skin on. You can cup off the stem to make it easier to cut in half. Seed squash and puncture sides with a fork.
2. 2Whisk together maple syrup, olive oil, minced garlic, salt, and pepper.
3. 3Brush the flesh of the squash with the maple marinade mixture.
4. 4On a lined baking sheet, pre-bake the squash (before stuffing) for 35 minutes, until the flesh is soft and easily pierced with a fork but not falling apart or mushy. If the neck of the squash is still a bit raw, cook an additional 5 min.
5. 5While the squash is pre-baking, prepare your filling: Combine olive oil, diced onion, diced celery, salt, chili flakes, poultry seasoning, and black pepper in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Cook until glossy and softened, about 8 minutes.
6. 6Then, add the ground sausage to the pan and break it up with a spatula. Cook the sausage until completely browned.
7. 7Stir in fresh spinach.
8. 8Cook until spinach is wilted, a few minutes, and then add ½ cup of shredded cheddar cheese, stirring to combine.
9. 9Stuff each cavity of butternut squash with ¼ of the filling. Top with the remaining ½ cup shredded cheese. These should be overly full!
10. 10Once stuffed, bake for an additional 15-20 min until cheese on top is slightly browned and melted.