Vegetarian Spinach Stuffed Squash is oven roasted to perfection and brimming with a creamy spinach filling and three cheeses. Use with butternut or acorn, this gorgeous squash is everything you could ever want in a fall side dish. Easy to make, packed with veggies and absolutely addicting! Includes tips and step by step instructions.
It’s fall, which means I go crazy over all the warm, comforting flavors. I have waited a full year to put this Spinach stuffed squash recipe out so you have ample time to take advantage of the peak flavors of squash season.
This dish is deliciously filling thanks to the roasted squash and makes the perfect lunch or even holiday dinner dish. It keeps well in the fridge for days and is nicely filling so it’s perfect for meatless Monday as well! Enjoy as is or try it with an additional protein.
It’s an interesting combination, but if you love cheese, spinach dip, and squash, you will love this recipe!
This stuffed squash was a huge hit last year and continues to be this year with the family. My husband often critiques my recipes, and the first time I made this one, all he said was “Yep, this is a hit. Make it again.” Between mouthfuls.
I love a good side dish, like our recipes for Squash Casserole, The BEST roasted butternut squash, and 30 more inspired Fall side dishes.
Everything you need to make this recipe
This roasted stuffed squash packs a serious flavor punch from tangy cheeses, warm spices, and creamiest filling that you’ll ever have. Here’s everything you’ll need to make it:
Squash – I love the balance of acorn squash, but you can easily swap butternut or spaghetti squash without needing to change the amounts of filling. With butternut particularly, you may need to scoop out some of the flesh in the stem area. For particular large varieties, you may need to double the filling.
Spinach – I use fresh spinach, although frozen will be fine. Use 3-4 ounces of frozen spinach, thaw, and drain well to remove excess moisture.
Cheeses – We are using cream cheese as well as shredded parmesan and mozzarella as the cheesy base. Feel free to experiment with other soft cheeses if you desire.
Vegetable or Chicken Broth – For a truly vegetarian dish, use vegetable broth. If you prefer, you can use chicken broth, however.
For the creamy filling – You will also need heavy whipping cream and sour cream to increase the creaminess factor. The spinach, squash and cheeses are the star flavors, so the chicken broth, garlic, and olive oil serve to highlight that flavor while melding everything together in a perfectly spoonable side dish.
Steps by Step Recipe Guide
The full recipe is at the bottom of this post, but I include this area for step-by-step visuals to help guide any questions.
1. Roasting the squash.
Most squashes are going to bake and roast the same amount of time. You don’t need to peel the squash so start by cutting the squash in half and scooping out the seeds. If you find that your squash is too hard to cut, pop it in the microwave or warm in the oven a few minutes. To make the squash stand up like a bowl, cut just enough off the bottom to make it flat.
Brush with a bit of olive oil to get that crispy top and place face down on aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes or until soft. There is no need to turn over during baking.
2. Making the Stuffing
The spinach filling is very straight forward. You don’t have to remove the stems, but since we are only wilting it, I prefer the texture without the stems. You can see in the photo above that the filling is smooth and creamy, but not overly thick.
3. Stuffing the squash
This is the exciting part because anticipation grows. Divide the mixture evenly between the squashes. It should just about fill the void left from scooping out the seeds. Top with a generous pile of mozzarella and shredded parmesan. That cheese topping is going to melt down to a melty, slightly crusty topping.
Serving and Storage Suggestions
What to serve with stuffed squash: I usually serve this with a very simple protein like grilled chicken, parmesan crusted pork chops, or spicy blackened chicken. This can also be used as an excellent vegetarian main dish if you wish. It also makes a yummy way to mix each bite and spread the flavor around. I serve the squash immediately out of the oven, so the cheese is perfectly melted but tell everyone they are super-hot.
Store: Leftovers are really good! If I know there will be leftovers, I store them in an airtight container or wrapped in foil in the fridge the same way they come out of the oven – with the squash intact. It keeps the filling separated and easier to reheat in the microwave. They are good for 4-5 days.
Reheat: This recipe keeps and reheats well both in the oven and in the microwave.
- OVEN: Cover the pan with foil and bake at 350 degrees for approximately 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.
- MICROWAVE: You can also reheat individual servings in the microwave by transferring to a microwave safe plate and microwaving for 90 seconds. You may have to stir a bit to avoid cold spots and continue to microwave at 30 second intervals until heated through.
More Recipes to Love
- Easy Roasted Butternut Squash
- Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms
- Crispy Oven Roasted Potatoes
- Bacon Brussel Sprouts
Frequently asked questions:
Cut them stem off the top and a sliver off the bottom. This will allow your acorn squash “bowls” to stand on their own without rolling around. Next, cut the squash in half crosswise.
Uncooked squash is pretty hard, so I use a sharp knife and sometimes poke it just to get the knife started, before slicing. If it is too hard, you can pop it in the microwave or oven for a few minutes to soften up.
An ideal acorn squash will have a mostly green rind with some orange. As it matures, the rind turns orange, but you don’t want a completely orange rind. A squash with a lot of orange will have stringy flesh.
The rind will be smooth and firm. Check for soft spots and look at the top where the vine is to check for freshness.
Yes! You can use other fall favorite squashes like acorn, butternut, delicata, or spaghetti squash. You may need to hollow out the butternut a bit more or double the filling for spagetti squash as it is larger and has a bigger cavity.
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Spinach Stuffed Squash
Ingredients
Roasted Squash
- 2 Acorn Squash *see note for other squash options
- 1 tablespoon Olive oil
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
Filling
- 2 cloves Garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 2 teaspoon Cornstarch
- ¼ cup Milk
- ¼ cup Vegetable Broth or Chicken Broth (non-vegetarian)
- 3 tablespoon Cream Cheese
- ⅓ cup Sour Cream
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Black Pepper
- 4 ounces Spinach 2 cups of fresh spinach with stems removed or 3-4 ounces of frozen, thawed and drained.
- ½ cup Shredded Mozzarella
- ½ ciup Shredded Parmesan
Garnish
- Parsley optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Cut the top and a sliver off the bottom so that the squash can sit flat. Scoop out seeds. Brush with 1 tablespoon olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place face down on aluminum foil lined cookie sheet.
- Bake squash for 35-45 minutes depending on size, or until squash is tender.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, add olive oil and garlic. Saute for 1-2 minutes, until the garlic is golden and fragrant.
- Reduce heat to low and add cornstarch. Immediately whisk until it makes a thick paste.
- Add broth and milk, stirring between additions.
- Add cream cheese and sour cream. Stir until combined and smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Add spinach and simmer 3-5 minutes, or until the spinach wilts.
- Divide the spinach filling evenly between the squash halves. Top each halve generously with mozzarella and Parmesan.
- Turn oven to broil. Broil the squash halves, face up, for 3-5 minutes, or until the cheese starts to bubble and turn golden brown. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Notes
- OVEN: Cover the pan with foil and bake at 350 degrees for approximately 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.
- MICROWAVE: You can also reheat individual servings in the microwave by transferring to a microwave safe plate and microwaving for 90 seconds. You may have to stir a bit to avoid cold spots and continue to microwave at 30 second intervals until heated through.
Barbara says
This was surprisingly good! Tried it with the family this weekend. Good mix of flavors.