A classic holiday dish with a twist, this Butternut Squash Stuffing is delicious and comforting. Fresh sage, the perfect amount of butter and thick, crusty bread make this the compliment to any meal--Thanksgiving, Christmas and even a relaxing night in!
The absolute best part of any holiday meal? THE STUFFING.
Don't fight me on this one, it's a proven fact.
Our spread always includes this Simple Apple Sage Stuffing, but since it is typically all gone in minutes, it's time to bring another stuffing recipe to the table.
Then again, I am not sure there will be more than a few of us celebrating together this year--but that's ok, we always love stuffing for leftovers as well.
This new Butternut Squash Stuffing recipe is sort of a two for one sort of dish. You get your squash and stuffing all in one delicious dish.
Why we love this recipe:
- It's a fun twist on a classic. The butternut squash makes this stuffing different, and different really can be good!
- Butternut squash can be found pre-chopped! There is never anything wrong with a shortcut.
- Stuffing is always great idea for using up stale or almost stale bread. Remember, it's not a holiday only recipe. Eat it whenever you have some bread that is ready to turn!
What you will need:
- Nice crusty bakery loaves are my favorite for this butternut squash stuffing, but really any stuffing. I like french loaves a lot for this recipe.
- You will need to make sure to cut the butternut squash fairly small, about ½ inch cubes to make sure they cook well. The squash looks deceivingly large in these photos due to the zoom lens. Check out this post for help chopping yours up!
How to make this recipe:
- In preparation for this butternut squash stuffing, you want to make sure the bread is cubed and either is left out overnight or baked at a low temperature to dry it out. You want your bread to be dried out so that it doesn't become overly soggy when mixed with the wet ingredients.
- Sauté the celery and onions in ½ stick of butter until softened. Add in the chopped sage and allow to cook another minute or so. While the celery and onions cook, whisk together the broth, eggs, thyme, salt and pepper. (step 1)
- Pour the egg and broth mixture over the cubed bread and toss to coat evenly. (step 2)
- Add the celery and onion mixture and toss with the bread. Make sure to add in all the extra liquid from the butter here. (step 3)
- Toss in the uncooked butternut squash and stir well to combine. Pour the mixture into a greased 9x13inch pan. Melt the remaining butter and pour it evenly over top of the stuffing. (step 5-6)
- Cook the butternut squash stuffing covered with foil first to prevent the top from burning. After about 30 minutes, remove the foil covering and allow to bake another 10-15 minutes until the top is browned and all the butternut squash is softened.
- Allow to cool for several minutes before serving.
Notes and Pro-Tips:
- As mentioned earlier, make sure to cut the butternut squash into about ½ inch - ¾ inch cubes. If you cut them too large, they will not soften enough in the time allotted to bake this stuffing.
- I don't use the ends of the loaves of bread as they are a bit too hard when dried out. I know this is not ideal with food waste so I try to serve them with dinner the night before.
- If you don't have fresh sage, you can substitute 1 teaspoon of dried sage.
- For easier day-of prep, have all the veggies cut the night before. This will make your holiday cooking a bit smoother!
What to serve with this recipe:
Aside from the usual, you know, turkey, mashed potatoes and more, I LOVE this stuffing with this Instant Pot Pork Tenderloin and Apples. In fact, depending on what our plan is this Thanksgiving, we may have this pairing for "turkey day!" And if not, definitely Christmas.
I also am a big fan of this White Wine Pan Seared Chicken and Butternut Squash Stuffing. I promise though that I am not trying to talk anyone out of turkey this year!
Another holiday side I will never be caught without is this Balsamic Cranberry Chutney and you better believe these two go perfectly together.
Try these other holiday recipes you will love:
- Parmesan Bacon Green Bean Casserole
- Warm Brie Crostini with Cranberry Chutney
- Cranberry Almond Butternut Roasted Squash
- Butternut Squash Casserole
- Pumpkin Pie Crumble
- Pomegranate Rosemary Brie Stuffed Crescent Rolls
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Butternut Squash Stuffing
Ingredients
- 2 1 lb. loaves french bread (15 cups cubed)
- 1 onion, chopped
- 4 celery stalks, chopped
- 2½ c butternut squash, cut into ½ inch cubes about ½ of a squash
- ½ c plus 3 T butter, separated
- 2 c chicken broth
- 2 eggs
- 1 T fresh sage, chopped
- ½ teaspoon thyme
- ½ teaspoon salt and pepper
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- The night before making this dish, cut the bread into 1 inch cubes and lay evenly on parchment to allow to dry out. If you are short on time, you can lay the cubed bread in a single layer on several baking sheets and bake for about 30 minutes at 325°F. When you are ready to prepare the stuffing, transfer all of the bread into a large mixing bowl.
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Over medium-high heat, melt one stick of butter. Add the onion and celery and sauté until the onions start to become translucent. Add in the chopped sage and allow to cook another minute or so. Set aside.
- While the celery and onions cook, whisk together the chicken broth, eggs, thyme, salt and pepper. Pour the egg and broth mixture over the cubed bread and toss to coat evenly. Add the celery and onion mixture and toss with the bread. Make sure to add in all the extra liquid from the butter here. Stir in the butternut squash last.
- Pour the stuffing into a greased 9x13 pan or large casserole dish. Drizzle the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter over top, paying extra attention to any spots that may look dry.
- Cover with foil and bake for about 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 10-15 minutes or until the top is golden brown, the squash is softened and the middle has set. Cool for several minutes before serving.
Notes
- As mentioned earlier, make sure to cut the butternut squash into about ½ inch - ¾ inch cubes. If you cut them too large, they will not soften enough in the time allotted to bake this stuffing.
- I don't use the ends of the loaves of bread as they are a bit too hard when dried out. I know this is not ideal with food waste so I try to serve them with dinner the night before.
- If you don't have fresh sage, you can substitute 1 teaspoon of dried sage.
- For easier day-of prep, have all the veggies cut the night before. This will make your holiday cooking a bit smoother!
Julie Osborne says
It’s really good and it disappears fast
Lorie says
Ha, I totally get that. Glad you loved it Julie!