Stuffed Delicata Squash
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Make the best Stuffed Delicata Squash recipe for an easy fall meal! In this dish, sweet roasted delicata squash is stuffed with lean chicken sausage and topped with seasoned ricotta cheese for an incredibly flavorful dish that’s easy to make in just 35 minutes!
Table of contents
Delicata squash is one of my favorite winter squash. It’s a smaller squash, so it cooks quickly and the skin is so thin that it’s edible after the squash is roasted. This makes it a quick and easy variety of squash to cook.
Delicata squash is also a sweeter variety of squash, giving it great flavor, that pairs well with a savory filling, like chicken sausage. This stuffed delicata squash recipe is incredibly flavorful and easy to make in just 35 minutes! It’s also healthy, gluten free, and packed with protein, vitamin A and vitamin C, making it a nutritious choice for dinner.
Delicata squash is easy to find during the fall and winter months at the grocery store with other varieties of winter squash, like butternut and acorn squash. The outside is yellow with stripes, and it’s usually oblong in shape, but the shape can vary. When making a recipe like this, you want to purchase squash that are all similar in size and shape.
Because of it’s sweetness, delicata squash is similar in taste to butternut squash and acorn squash, but it has a more creamy texture, like that of a sweet potato. This is also why you’ll sometimes hear it called “sweet potato squash”. The combination of the sweet flavor and creamy texture make this one winter squash that you don’t want to miss!
Ingredients
- Delicata squash – this winter squash is smaller in size than other squash like butternut, or spaghetti squash. An average delicata squash is approximately 1 – 1 1/2 pounds. For this recipe you’ll want either two larger squash, that are around 1 1/2 pounds each, or four smaller squash that are less than 1 pound each. On the day I was making this recipe, all of the delicata squash at the grocery store were particularly small, so I ended up using 4 to make this recipe. For more tips on delicata squash, including how to slice it and the best way to cook it, check out this post for How to Cook Delicata Squash.
- Olive oil – or another neutral-flavored oil, like avocado oil or vegetable oil.
- Salt + black pepper – to season the squash, and the ricotta cheese.
- Chicken sausage – for this recipe I used a sweet Italian chicken sausage, which paired perfectly with the sweet delicata squash. You’ll want a loose sausage that you can cook and crumble for this recipe. If you can’t find loose chicken sausage, you can buy links of chicken sausage, remove the sausage from the casing, then crumble and cook it. Or you can use turkey sausage, which will have a similar nutritional value to the chicken sausage. If you prefer, you can also use Italian pork sausage.
- Onions – for this recipe, I used diced yellow onions for their nice, neutral flavor. You could also use a sweet onion for this recipe to pair with the sweet Italian sausage and sweet delicata squash.
- Garlic – I always recommend fresh minced cloves for the best flavor.
- Dried sage – the earthy, sweet and savory flavor of sage pairs really well with sausage, and is a great addition to fall dishes, like this stuffed delicata squash.
- Ricotta cheese – this creamy, salty cheese is a delicious topping to finish off this dish.
- Dried basil + parsley + oregano – to season the ricotta cheese with bright, delicious flavors.
Instructions
I’ve included step by step photos below to make this recipe super easy to follow at home. For the full detailed recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Prep the squash. Slice each squash in half from root to tip. Use a fork to scoop out the seeds from the middle of each squash. Brush the flesh of the squash with olive oil, then season with salt and black pepper.
- Roast the squash. Place the squash, cut-side up, on a rimmed baking sheet, and into a 425°F preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until the flesh is fork-tender. In the meantime, prepare the sausage stuffing.
- Cook onions and garlic. Heat olive oil in a large skillet on the stove over medium-high heat. Add diced onions and cook for 4-5 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook for an additional minute.
- Cook and season ground sausage. Add chicken sausage to the skillet with the onions and garlic. Cook and crumble, then season with dried sage. Continue cooking until the sausage is no longer pink. Once cooked through, remove the skillet from the heat and set aside.
- Prepare the herbed ricotta. In a small bowl, combine ricotta cheese with dried basil, parsley, oregano, salt and pepper. Set aside.
- Fill the delicata squash, after they’ve roasted in the oven for 20 minutes. Spoon the chicken sausage mixture into the middle of each of the delicata squash halves. Top with a few dollops of the seasoned ricotta cheese. Place back in the oven to bake for 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve immediately. Optionally sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley to garnish the squash.
Recipe tips
- If using 4 smaller delicata squash to make this recipe, I recommend serving 2 halves (or 1 whole squash) per person. If using 2 larger delicata squash, I recommend serving 1 half per person.
- You do not need to peel the squash! The skin of delicata squash is so thin, it can be eaten, along with the flesh inside of the squash. This also makes the squash much easier to cut in half, than larger winter squash like spaghetti squash or butternut squash.
- You can make this recipe with acorn squash, if you can’t find delicata squash. But I do not recommend eating the skin of acorn squash, as it’s tougher than the skin of delicata squash.
- You can prep the stuffed delicata squash ahead of time and keep them warm in a Crock Pot after cooking. I made these early for a dinner party a few weeks back, then placed them in a Crock Pot on the warm setting for 2 hours. They were just as delicious, and perfectly warm after 2 hours, as they were fresh out of the oven!
Dietary options
To make this recipe dairy-free, replace the ricotta with a dairy-free ricotta alternative.
To make this recipe vegetarian, replace the chicken sausage with 1 pound of diced portobello mushrooms. A vegetarian version of the stuffed delicata squash could even be served as a side dish at Thanksgiving, or a festive fall meal.
This recipe is naturally gluten free, using the ingredients shown above.
Storage and reheating
If you don’t plan to eat all of the stuffed delicata squash in one setting, I recommend storing the ingredients separately in the refrigerator. For example, do not stuff and cook the stuffed squash for the additional 5 minutes. Instead, store the roasted squash, chicken sausage filling and herbed ricotta cheese separately in the fridge.
When you’re ready to eat the leftovers, heat the oven to 425°F. Fill the roasted squash with the chicken sausage filling, then top with the ricotta cheese. Place in the oven for 8-10 minutes, or until heated through.
Each of the leftover ingredients will stay good, stored in airtight containers, in the fridge for up to 5 days.
More squash recipes
Load up your fall and winter menu with these other delicious delicata squash, butternut squash and acorn squash recipes! And be sure not to miss my popular post on how to cook acorn squash, in the oven, microwave or air fryer.
Stuffed Delicata Squash
Ingredients
- 3 pounds delicata squash, 2 large squash, or 4 small squash
- 4 teaspoons olive oil, divided
- 1 teaspoon salt, divided
- 1 teaspoon black pepper, divided
- 1 cup diced onions
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 pound loose chicken sausage
- 1 teaspoon dried sage
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Use a sharp knife to slice each squash in half lengthwise through the middle, from root to tip.
- Use a fork to scoop out the seeds from the middle of the squash.
- Brush the flesh of the squash with 2 teaspoons olive oil and season with ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper.
- Place the squash, cut-side up, on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Roast in the oven for 20 minutes.
- While the squash is cooking, add the remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil to a large skillet on the stove over medium-high heat.
- Add the onions, cook for 4-5 minutes, then add the garlic and cook for an additional minute.
- Add the sausage to the skillet, and cook and crumble until browned, about 7-9 minutes, then season with the dried sage.
- Cook for an additional 1-2 minutes, then remove the sausage mixture from the heat and set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, basil, parsley, oregano and the remaining ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper.
- When the squash comes out of the oven, add the sausage to the middle of the squash, then dollop the herbed ricotta cheese on top.
- Place the squash back in the oven for 5 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and serve immediately.
Notes
- Delicata squash – this winter squash is smaller in size than other squash like butternut, or spaghetti squash. An average delicata squash is approximately 1 – 1 1/2 pounds. For this recipe you’ll want either two larger squash, that are around 1 1/2 pounds each, or four smaller squash that are less than 1 pound each.
- If using 4 smaller delicata squash to make this recipe, I recommend serving 2 halves (or 1 whole squash) per person. If using 2 larger delicata squash, I recommend serving 1 half per person.
- You do not need to peel the squash! The skin of delicata squash is so thin, it can be eaten, along with the flesh inside of the squash. This also makes the squash much easier to cut in half, than larger winter squash like spaghetti squash or butternut squash.
- Chicken sausage – for this recipe I used a sweet Italian chicken sausage. You’ll want a loose sausage that you can cook and crumble for this recipe. If you can’t find loose chicken sausage, you can buy links of chicken sausage, remove the sausage from the casing, then crumble and cook it. Or you can use turkey sausage, which will have a similar nutritional value to the chicken sausage. If you prefer, you can also use Italian pork sausage.
- To make this recipe vegetarian, replace the chicken sausage with 1 pound of diced portobello mushrooms. A vegetarian version of the stuffed delicata squash could even be served as a side dish at Thanksgiving, or a festive fall meal.
- To make this recipe dairy-free, replace the ricotta with a dairy-free ricotta alternative.
- This recipe is naturally gluten free, using the ingredients shown above.
- You can cook the stuffed delicata squash ahead of time and keep them warm in a Crock Pot after cooking. After the stuffed squash comes out of the oven, immediately transfer them to a Crock Pot, set to warm. Keep them in the Crock Pot on warm for up to 4 hours.
- If you don’t plan to eat all of the stuffed delicata squash in one setting, I recommend storing the ingredients separately in the refrigerator. For example, do not stuff and cook the stuffed squash for the additional 5 minutes. Instead, store the roasted squash, chicken sausage filling and herbed ricotta cheese separately in the fridge. When you’re ready to eat the leftovers, heat the oven to 425°F. Fill the roasted squash with the chicken sausage filling, then top with the ricotta cheese. Place in the oven for 8-10 minutes, or until heated through.
- Each of the leftover ingredients will stay good, stored in airtight containers, in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Nutrition Facts
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