Delicata squash is sliced into rings, set atop a bed of parmesan, filled with a spicy, sweet, cheesy sausage filling, then baked until the parmesan is crispy and the squash is perfectly tender. These make for a delicious, showstopping holiday appetizer, and they're honestly filling enough for a cozy weeknight dinner, too.
This post is sponsored by The Spice House. All opinions are our own.
The Holiday App We're Definitely Making This Year!
One of our foolproof appetizer methods is to lay down veggies over a bed of parmesan and roast them. The vegetables get soft and tender, while the parmesan becomes crisp and crunchy. It's a pretty foolproof way to get everyone to eat more vegetables. We've done it with our Parmesan Crusted Brussels Sprouts, Parmesan Crusted Artichokes, and now we're doing it with squash!
This is a pretty easy recipe: just slice the squash, lay down a bed of parm, fill the squash rings, top with a sage leaf, and bake.
The one key to this recipe is that we used a pre-cooked sausage to make the filling. If you use raw sausage, it will give off a lot of fat, which not only causes the filling to shrink and pull away from the squash, but it makes it harder for the parmesan to crisp up. We tested both several times and vastly prefer the version with pre-cooked sausage. It seems a little weird when you're making it, but we promise, it's wonderful!
The real star of the show here is The Spice House's Great North Maple Garlic seasoning, which we use to season both the squash and the sausage filling. It's truly the perfect blend of sweet and savory and it's really what takes these to the next level!
xoxo, Lexi & Beth
Key Ingredients Needed for these Sausage Stuffed Squash Rings
- Delicata squash: This squash variety is naturally hollow, so after scraping out the seeds, it's a perfectly shaped ring. You don't need to peel it, either. The skin is edible and softens as it roasts.
- Great North Maple Garlic seasoning: This blend from The Spice House is the star of the show. It's made with maple sugar, brown sugar, garlic and onion, so it's sweet, savory and a perfect match for squash and sausage. It goes on the squash rings and into the filling. We've been using it as a standalone seasoning for fall veggies and it's wonderful!
- Grab a bottle online, or you can also find it at select Costco’s in the Midwest, Northeast, and San Diego regions this fall!
- Sausage: We used a fully-cooked sausage that comes in casings. I know it sounds weird for this kind of recipe, but we tested it with uncooked sausage and the filling shrank away from the sides of the squash, so it's not ideal although it still tastes good. You can find this kind of sausage typically near bacon – we specifically used a spicy Italian and loved the extra kick of spice it added. We also tested this with a more breakfast-oriented maple apple sausage flavor and it was great too.
- Panade: This is just breadcrumbs soaked in milk. It keeps the sausage filling tender and helps it hold together. Panko or regular breadcrumbs both work.
- Parmesan: The key here is to grate your own very finely. If the shreds are too thick, they may not melt evenly.
How to Make these Sausage Stuffed Squash Rings
- Prep the squash rings: Heat your oven to 400°F and line two sheet pans with parchment. Slice the squash into ½-inch rings and scoop out the seeds. Toss the squash rings with the oil and seasoning, then arrange them on the pans. Place a tablespoon of parmesan down on the parchment and place the ring on top.
- Mix the filling and assemble: To make the panade, stir the breadcrumbs and milk together in a small bowl and let sit until the breadcrumbs have soaked up the milk. It should end up looking like a thick oatmeal.
- Blitz the sausage briefly in a food processor until finely chopped, then mix it with the panade, egg, mozzarella, and seasoning until it holds together as one mass. Scoop the filling into each ring with a rounded #50 (~1.5 tbsp) cookie scoop, packing it in firmly and mounding it slightly above the rim. Sprinkle the tops with the remaining parmesan, then press a sage leaf onto each one.
- Bake & Finish: Bake for 22 to 24 minutes, until the squash is knife-tender and the parmesan has started to brown on the edges. If your pans are on two racks, rotate them halfway through. Let the rings cool for a few minutes before lifting them off the pan so the parmesan frico has time to set.
Top Tips from the CK Test Kitchen!
- Stick with pre-cooked sausage: Raw sausage gives off a lot of fat as it bakes, which makes the filling shrink and pull away from the squash and keeps the parmesan from crisping up.
- Slice the squash evenly: Keep your rings as close to ½ inch thick as you can so they cook evenly.
- Pack the filling in: We used a cookie scoop to speed up the filling process. We pressed the filling in firmly to make sure it fills the squash ring from edge to edge.
- Give them a few minutes: Let the rings cool on the pan for a few minutes before lifting them off so the parmesan has time to set.
- Storage: Store leftover rings in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 5 days.
- Reheating: To reheat, return the rings to a 400°F oven until warmed through.
- Make ahead: You can make the filling and slice and hollow out the squash rings ahead of time, then assemble and bake them the day you're serving.
More Fall Appetizers You'll Love
We can't wait for you to make these sausage stuffed squash rings in your own home! If you do, be sure to let us know! Leave a comment with a star rating below. You can also snap a photo and tag @crowded_kitchen on Instagram. We love seeing what you're cooking!
📖 Recipe
Sausage Stuffed Squash Rings
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and line two sheet pans with parchment paper.
- Add the squash rings to a large bowl and toss them until well coated with oil and seasoning.
- In a small bowl, stir together the breadcrumbs and milk and let sit until the breadcrumbs have soaked up the milk. It should look like thick oatmeal.
- Remove the casings from the sausage and crumble it into small pieces. The easiest way to do this is to blitz it in a food processor for a just a few seconds until it's broken up.
- In a large bowl, mix together the sausage, breadcrumb/milk mixture, egg, mozzarella and seasoning until well combined.
- On the sheet pan, place 1 tablespoon of parmesan down for each squash ring, spreading it into an even circle that's about the same size as the squash. Place a squash ring on top.
- Add 1 ½ tablespoons of sausage filling to the center of each squash ring (we used a size 50 cookie scoop) and press it into a flat layer so it's fully pressed into the squash ring. Place a sage leaf on top of each squash ring.
- Bake 22 to 24 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through if they're on two racks, until the squash is knife-tender and the parmesan has started to brown on the edges.
- Let cool for a few minutes before enjoying.
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