Sausage Stuffed Butternut Squash with Spinach, Pecans, and Cranberries

Ingredients

Roasted Butternut Squash:

• 2 medium or large butternut squash
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ¼ teaspoon salt (or more)
• Freshly ground black pepper

Sausage Filling:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 14 ounces spicy Italian sausage, crumbled
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• 4 ounces fresh spinach
• ½ cup dried cranberries
• ½ cup chopped pecans

Instructions

Roast Butternut Squash:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C).
2. Slice butternut squash in half lengthwise. Scoop out seeds and fleshy strands.
3. Place butternut squash halves cut sides up on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Turn halves cut sides down.
4. Roast in preheated oven for 30-40 minutes.

Make Sausage Filling:

1. In a large skillet, heat olive oil and cook diced onion until charred.
2. Add crumbled sausage, minced garlic, and Italian seasoning. Cook until sausage is cooked through.
3. Add fresh spinach and cook until wilted.
4. Stir in dried cranberries and chopped pecans. Season with salt and pepper.

Assemble:

1. Remove roasted butternut squash from oven and turn cut sides up. Let cool slightly.
2. Scoop out flesh, leaving a 1-inch border.
3. Reheat sausage filling in the same skillet.
4. Divide sausage filling among the 4 halves and stuff the squash until the mixture is leveled or slightly higher.
5. Top with freshly ground black pepper and fresh thyme.