Sweet delicata squash rings stuffed with a marvelous mixture of savory sausage, zucchini, broccoli, quinoa, pecans and dried cranberries. These beautiful sausage stuffed squash rings are perfect for an appetizer or first course, or enjoy several of them for a delightful dinner. Stuffing the squash in rings makes them more bite sized, but also great for portion control. Each person can have one or two or hey, four, if they please, to suit their own appetite.
Seriously, if you like sausage and squash, you NEED to try these! They are SO good. The mix of flavors, colors and textures is just wonderful.
A while back, I shared the original recipe for Sausage Stuffed Acorn Squash from Julia’s Album on my facebook page. They looked really pretty. And one of my friends saw it and decided she HAD to make it. Then she proceeded to tell me how amazingly good they were. Well, that meant I needed to try it myself, right? But I have a tiny little tummy and half of a squash is always way too much for me.
My parents have the same problem. We’re all getting older and we don’t need as many calories, but we do so love good food. So little bites just work better for us. That’s why I decided to make stuffed squash rings instead of stuffed squash halves. Of course, if you prefer, you can always stuff the squash in halves.
What kind of squash to use for sausage stuffed squash rings?
I recommend using delicata squash (also known as sweet dumpling squash or peanut squash) because:
- You don’t have to peel them. Yes, the peels are tender enough to eat!
- The peels adds a fun little crunchy exterior, another dimension of texture.
- The interior is hollow, so they make a perfect small ring to hold the stuffing.
Julia used acorn squash and stuffed the filling into halves. You could go either way, really, depending on the portion size you want.
I made these lovely bites just for me, intending to eat one for a snack. See, I was thinking I’d save the rest for a meal to share with my parents. But after one bite, I couldn’t stop myself. I just had to have another! And then I started putting them away. But they didn’t all fit in the container I chose. So down the hatch went a third one. Now I don’t have anywhere near enough to share with my parents.
That’s okay, January is my birthday month, so I’m considering these little yummies a birthday present to ME. I can pull them out next week while I’m working for a little treat to bring a little more joy into my workdays. And if mom and dad bring me some more venison sausage and delicata (harvested from their garden last fall), well, I can make it all over again for them.
Adapted from Julia’s Album
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Sausage Stuffed Squash Rings
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 35 min
- Total Time: 50 min
- Yield: About 8 – 10 rings 1x
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (or more, as needed)
- 1 large or 2 small delicata squash, sliced into rounds, seeds removed
- 1/4 cup chopped onion
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled & chopped
- 3/4 cup chopped zucchini
- 4 – 5 oz. spicy sausage (preferably low fat such as chicken or venison sausage)
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1/2 cup frozen broccoli, thawed & chopped
- 1/2 cup cooked quinoa, rice or couscous
- 3 – 4 Tablespoons low sugar dried cranberries
- 3 – 4 Tablespoons pecans, chopped
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 1 egg
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Slice the squash (peel on) horizontally into rounds about 1/2 inch thick. Let the ends be “cups”. Set the squash rings & cups on a baking sheet lined with a silicon baking mat or sprayed with cooking spray.
- Brush the squash rings lightly on both sides with olive oil, then sprinkle with salt & bake at 350 F. for about 20 minutes.
- While the squash is baking, prepare the quinoa or rice and begin the filling. Pour a bit of olive oil in a small frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute until the onion is soft & translucent. Stir in the sausage, zucchini and seasoning and cook until the sausage is browned. Remove from heat and drain off any excess fat.
- Put the thawed broccoli in a strainer and push gently to remove any excess water. Chop into small bits. Stir the broccoli, cranberries, and pecans. Taste and add salt & pepper if needed. Let cool slightly, then stir in the egg.
- Push the filling mixture into each squash ring tightly, letting it mound on top a bit. Bake for another 10 – 15 minutes or until all is nice and hot and the egg is set. Enjoy!
Notes
RECIPE SOURCE: Sumptuous Spoonfuls – https://www.sumptuousspoonfuls.com/ … © Copyright 2022, Sumptuous Spoonfuls. All images & content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to publish any of my images, please ask first. If you want to republish this recipe as your own, please re-write the recipe in your own words or link back to this post for the recipe.
Keywords: Sausage, Squash, Delicata, Italian, Cranberries, Broccoli, Quinoa, Zucchini, Gluten free, Heart healthy
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