Naturally sweet butternut squash, spinach, and flavorful sausage are meant to be together. It's a beautiful take on traditional cheesy casseroles.
Butternut squash is a fall favorite, but this dish elevates it from a simple side to a hearty, comforting main course. By stuffing it with a savory mixture of millet, spinach, sausage and cheese along with additionally topping it with a layer of melted cheese, this recipe is sure to become a family favorite.
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On Squash
Any winter squashes are, to me, the star of the vegetable world. They’ve got a nice flavor but are mostly a blank sheet that becomes delightfully delicious with the pairing of different seasonings and preparations. They can be sweet, savory, or spicy. They can be diced, roasted, stuffed, added to soups and pureed, added to dumpling fillings and baked into desserts. As an added bonus, you can and you SHOULD eat the seeds!
What do I like about this dish?
This Cheesy Stuffed Butternut Squash with Millet, Spinach & Sausage recipe was born out of a desire for a savory hearty meal, which is typical this time of year. It’s a perfect blend of comfort and nutrition. The butternut squash brings a natural sweetness and creamy texture, while the millet adds a wholesome, slightly nutty flavor. The spinach and sausage provide a savory depth, and the melted cheese ties everything together with a satisfying, gooey finish. It works great as a side or main course.
It’s a hearty, filling meal that feels indulgent but is packed with nourishing ingredients, making it a dish you can feel good about enjoying and sharing with loved ones. Can be made ahead of time and baked at the last minute.
Similar Recipe for butternut squash lovers:
On Millet
In Ukraine millet is quite popular but was used frequently in the old days compared to the present. My grandmother used millet for making her stuffed cabbage, porridge, and in soups. She even served it to us with milk and honey for breakfast. For those of you who are gluten intolerant, millet is Naturally Gluten Free.
If you have never heard of millet, you’re not alone. This ancient food is more widely known in the Western world as the main ingredient in bird feed than as a diet staple, but that’s beginning to change. While widely referred to as a grain, millet is actually a seed and while birds do love it, this is a seed that humans choose too. Millet is high in fiber and low on the GI. Additionally, it is an alkaline food, meaning it’s easily digestible and a good option for those with sensitive stomachs.
SOAKED VS UNSOAKED MILLET
The soaking process not only speeds up the cooking time, but it neutralizes the phytic acid and enzyme inhibitors and increases the vitamin content, particularly B vitamins. Phytic acid, which not only grabs onto important minerals, but inhibits the enzymes that we need to digest our food. I highly recommend that you soak your millet! I ALWAYS SOAK MOST OF MY GRAINS, BEANS, SEEDS AND NUTS!
How to cook millet?
Soaking millet before cooking can improve its digestibility and reduce cooking time. Millet typically expands to about three times its original volume when cooked.
You will need:
2/3 cup of millet
1 & 3/4 cups of water
Pinch of salt (optional)
Butter (optional, for flavor)
Water for soaking
Directions:
Soak the Millet:
Place the millet in a bowl and cover it with plenty of water.
Let it soak for a few hours, or overnight if possible.
After soaking, drain and rinse the millet under cold water.
Toast the Millet (Optional and I didn't do in this video):
To enhance the flavor, you can toast the drained millet in a dry saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly for about 4-5 minutes until it becomes fragrant and lightly golden.
Cook the Millet:
In a medium saucepan, combine the soaked (and optionally toasted) millet with the water and a pinch of salt.
Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat.
Simmer:
Once it reaches a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover the saucepan with a lid, and let it simmer for about 10-15 minutes, or until the water is absorbed. The soaking will reduce the cooking time.
Let it Sit:
Remove the saucepan from the heat and let it sit, covered, for about 5 minutes. This will help the millet steam and become fluffy.
Tips:
Soaking millet can give it a creamier texture.
Cooking the day or two ahead of time is a great idea.
If you’re able to use broth instead of water to cook millet, do it because bone broth will provide more flavor and health benefits.
What do I need to make Stuffed Butternut Squash?
Butternut squashes - choose 4 small ones, more beautiful to serve and easy, no need to divide it. Each half will serve one person.
Spinach - or any greens of your choice (kale, mustard or turnip greens).
Sausage - please use a good quality sausage, with minimum adding, Italian, breakfast , bratwurst, etc. I used boar bratwurst sausage in the video, but in a past made with different varieties of sausages.
Millet - I highly recommend it, but if you can't find it, please don't let that stop you from making this dish. Use rice instead.
Cheeses - any good melted cheese is great here, plus a bit of parmesan gives truly savory satisfactions. In the video I used Gruyere cheese, but baby Swiss, fontina cheese are also a great choices.
Olive oil - staple ingredient that everyone has. This one is my all time favorite.
Onion - any kind, living in the South, I often lean towards sweet onions.
Garlic - just a few cloves gives amazing flavor, so please don't skip.
Apple cider vinegar - just a bit to deglaze the pan, red wine vinegar is great too.
Thyme - dried is totally fine here, I was not able to find fresh thyme too. Sage is another option, especially if you are planning to serve for Thanksgiving.
Let's begin...
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 45 minutes
Total time: 60 minutes
Author: Inna of innichkachef.com
Servings: 8 people
Ingredients
4 small butternut squashes
1 lb. fresh sausages (I used board bratwurst)
5 cups spinach or any greens of your choice
2 cups onion, chopped (1 big onion)
2 cups cooked millet (it's about 2/3 cup millet, see note above on how to cook it)
2 cups Gruyere cheese, shredded (1&1/2 for filling and 1/2 cup for topping)
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, shredded
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons dried thyme
Pinch red pepper flakes
Salt, freshly ground black pepper
2 cloves garlic, grated
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons raw cane sugar
Directions
Preheat the oven 375F. Wash squashes and dry with a paper towel.
Place on a cutting board and split all of the squash in halves using a long sharp knife. Be careful, no need to rush on this step.
Then in a small bowl mix together a few tablespoons of olive oil, 2 tablespoons sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, pinch of red pepper flakes and 10 turns of black pepper. Mix all together.
Place squashes onto a baking sheet (with parchment paper). Brush it with olive oil mixture. Bake for 30 minutes, check for doneness with a toothpick.
Meanwhile, make a filling for the squashes. To the pan add chopped sausages (casing remove if you like, I didn't in the video). Cook on medium heat until nice and brown. Then pour into a bowl and set a side.
To the same pan, no need to wash, add a spoon of olive oil and chopped onion, season with salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and thyme. Cook for a few minutes. Stir once a while. After the onion gets translucent add spinach. Add apple cider vinegar to deglaze the pan. Stir all together. Cook for a minute then pour this onion mixture into a bowl with onion.
Scoop the meat from inside the cooked squashes (leave just a shell). Using melon scooper makes this task easier. Add to the bowl with cooked onion and sausage mixture. Mix all together. Add cooked millet and 1 &1/2 cups of Gruyere cheese. Mix.
Stuff squash shells and sprinkle the top with shredded parmesan and the rest of the Gruyere cheese.
Bake for 15-20 minutes on a medium rack at 400F.
This main or side dish is a wonderful balance of flavors and textures, perfect for a cozy dinner on a cool evening. The combination of the creamy butternut squash, hearty millet, savory sausage, and gooey cheese will make this recipe a go-to comfort food in your kitchen. Enjoy!