Baked Cheesy Pasta + Sausage Stuffed Acorn Squash is that cold weather meal you’ll want to enjoy over and over again. It’s gooey, savory, sweet and topped with crispy, herbed breadcrumbs.

a halved acorn squash stuffed with mac and cheese

Baked Acorn Squash Stuffed with Cheesy Pasta and Italian Sausage

Take a nutty gruyere macaroni and cheese, add in some Italian sausage, pile it high into a roasted acorn squash and you’ve got a hearty complete meal that’s also…just kinda fun!

The scents alone will have you salivating, but one look at a tray full of these being pulled out of the oven, and everyone will be clambering to get to the dinner table first.

a tray of baked cheesy pasta with sausage stuffed acorn squash

Ingredients for Baked Cheesy Pasta with Sausage

Per usual, it’s time to pull out those pantry staples of olive oil, kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper in addition to:

Acorn squash — look for squashes that have a green, dull skin (some orange is fine, too) and no soft spots.
Italian-style poultry sausage — I used the mild variety. Feel free to use standard pork-based Italian sausage, but turkey or chicken sausage is just as flavorful and my go-to.
Aromatics — shallots and garlic.
Unsalted butter — used for the roux and breadcrumbs.
Flour — for the roux.
Milk — I tend to use 2% because it’s always in our fridge, but skim or whole is fine, too.
Spices — allspice and cayenne.
Pasta — any short cut pasta of your choosing. I used mezzi rigatoni (a smaller sized rigatoni).
Gruyere — I absolutely love this cheese for anytime I need something melty and gooey. It’s my favorite for mac!
Parmesan — yep, a little more cheese…nutty like Gruyere, but with a saltier bite.
Seasoned breadcrumbs — any type you like, or make your own.
Fresh sage — this gets mixed into the breadcrumbs for a subtle herbal note.

raw ingredients for baked cheesy pasta with sausage

How to Make Baked Cheesy Pasta + Sausage Stuffed Squash

Roast the Acorn Squash

The first step is to prepare the acorn squash. Halve the squashes from stem to tip, then scoop out the seeds and stringy bits from the center.

Place these cut side up on a sheet pan. Brush the flesh with olive oil and season liberally with salt + pepper. Roast them in a 400°F oven for 20 to 25 minutes, depending on their size. (After the second bake, once stuffed with pasta, the squash should be tender all the way through.)

Remove from the oven and set the sheet pan aside, but leave the oven on.

Prep the Sausage + Pasta

Heat some olive oil in large saucepan. (You’ll use the same pan to sauté the sausage and make the cheese sauce.) Cook the shallots for a couple of minutes until they begin to soften, then add the sausage (casings removed). As this cooks, break the meat up into small pieces with a wooden spoon. When there’s just a bit of pink left, add the garlic continue to cook until no longer pink. Remove the sausage to a towel lined plate to drain and set the saucepan, with all the good bits, aside.

In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the pasta according to the package instructions for al dente, minus a minute or two. Drain the pasta and return it to the pot.

Make the Cheese Sauce

Grab the saucepan again and melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook it for at least a minute, stirring constantly.

Begin to whisk in the milk, a little at a time at first to incorporate the flour. Add the allspice, salt and pepper and simmer for about 15 minutes. Stir it often and watch that it doesn’t boil over.

Finally, take the pan off the heat and stir in the gruyere and parmesan until it has completely melted.

Bring it All Together

Add the sausage and cheese sauce to the pasta and stir it all up to evenly distribute the sauce. Divide the pasta evenly between the roasted acorn squash — you might have to pile it up high, and that’s totally ok!

Place the breadcrumbs and minced fresh sage in a small bowl and add melted butter and a dash or two of cayenne pepper. Stir this up, then top each squash with breadcrumbs.

Put the tray back in the oven and bake for 20- 25 minutes until the breadcrumbs are toasty brown and cheese is bubbly.

sheet pan with pre baked cheesy pasta and sausage stuffed acorn squash

Substitutions for Baked Cheesy Pasta + Sausage

Squash — You can substitute buttercup, a small pumpkin, or any similarly sized winter squash. Roasting times may vary slightly depending on the density and variety, so keep that in mind.
Sausage — as I mentioned earlier, you can use standard pork sausage instead of poultry. You can spice things up with hot Italian sausage, or sub in any fresh sausage you like.
Spices — allspice is just a nice warm spice that works well with creamy sauces. Add more, omit or sub in nutmeg. The cayenne warms up the breadcrumbs ever so slightly, but that’s totally optional if you don’t like it. You can sub in other enhancers like paprika or chili powder.
Cheese — the sky is the limit! Try this with any cheese you like (results may vary). Popular sub ins include cheddar, gouda, monterey jack, fontina…even brie.
Pasta — I recommend a short pasta to make it easier to stuff the squash. Go traditional with elbow or try cavatappi, farfalle, orecchiette, penne, rotini…the list goes on. Have fun!

baked cheesy pasta sausage stuffed acorn squash

If You Like This Recipe, Try…