Grilled Wild Rice Stuffed Delicata Squash

I love it when the late summer and fall squashes come out at the stores and farmers markets. I always keep an eye out so I can start making these Stuffed Grilled Delicata Squash! This is my favorite grilling squash. Read on and see why!

I served up this recipe for a work event we attended a few nights ago.  It was a huge hit, and tasted so good. I almost didn’t take it (and kept more for us!)  My wife told me that really wasn’t in keeping with the holiday spirit, so I begrudgingly brought them along. 😀 No worries, I’ll be making more very shortly!

These are stuffed with a wild rice, sausage, spinach, apple mix.  The spicy sausage complemented the sweetness of the apples just perfectly.  

🍽️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Short Preparation Time: This recipe takes just 20 minutes to get ready. It is packed with flavor and easily customizable.

Perfect Autumn Dish: Besides being hearty and satisfying, it uses those classic fall ingredients and is a great source of potassium, Vitamin A, Calcium, and Vitamin C

Your family will love it!

🔪 Ingredients

Delicata Squash is a winter squash that is usually bright yellow with highlights of green, brown or orange. It is typically found in the fall in local grocery stores and is known as “delicata” because the skin is so delicate.  

It has the mild squash flavor of butternut or acorn, but is much easier to cut and serve.  I prefer using it as I don’t have to worry about peeling the skin.  I love saving the time!

Your grocery store may have it labeled as potato squash, sweet potato squash or Bohemian squash. You will find them right by the spaghetti, 8 ball squash and acorn squash.

Wild Rice and Sausage Stuffing – I used a classic autumn filling with wild rice, sausage, spinach and apples. With light herbs and garlic, this mix is good enough to be eaten by itself too! If you have too much of this mix to fill the squash, keep it for lunch the next day – it is THAT good!

⏲️ Equipment and Tools

GrillGrate – This is my go-to tool for searing quickly. It sets on top of your existing grate and the aluminum fins become super-heated which create the fantastic sear.

Cast Iron Skillet – This is the most versatile tool for the grill. I have used it for searing meats, but it works so well with almost every recipe. Check the size of your grill and make sure to have the skillet smaller, including the handle.

🔥 Instructions

This was a fun recipe to grill.  There are a few key steps, and the end result is out of this world!

Prepare the rice ahead of time. I made the wild rice the day before in the Instant Pot, and then refrigerated it until I needed it.  

Prepare the Stuffing

Step One: In a medium skillet, add olive oil and sauté the onion.  In the last few minutes, add the chopped garlic. Remove from the skillet and set aside.

Step Two: In the same skillet, brown the sausage.  Use a flavor of your liking. I chose a medium spice sausage, knowing the apples will sweeten the dish later.

Step Three: Add the onion and garlic back in along with the herbs and spinach.  The spinach will cook down pretty quickly.  

Step Four: Chop half of an apple into small pieces and add to the sausage mix.

Grilling

Step One: Start your grill (we always use our DIY Fire Starters) and bring it up to 350 degrees.  I used my Big Green Egg and installed the plate setter for an indirect heat. For gas grills, turn off the center burners.

Step Two: Once the grill is up to temperature, cut the squash in half lengthwise.  Scoop out the seeds using a metal spoon.

Step Three: Brush a little bit of olive oil on the squash and place them cut-side down on the grill.  You want these to cook for about 15-20 minutes. They should be fork-tender when you take them off.  If they are too hard, give them a few more minutes.

Step Four: Bring the squash back inside and lay them in a grill-safe pan.  I used a medium sized cast iron skillet. Using a large spoon, fill each squash with the sausage mixture.  Have them heap a bit – you’ll love it!

Step Five: Set the cast iron skillet on the grill with the stuffed squash and let it cook for another 20 minutes.  If you like a smoky flavor, add some smoking chips. The squash, sausage, and rice love the smoke! If you have never tried this version before but want to give it a try, test out one or two on the grill first as the smoke can be intense for those that aren’t used to it. A little goes a long way.

Step Six: Remove squash from the grill, let sit for five minutes, and serve. (Or, have your wife force you to give them away at the office potluck!) Sheesh!

Oven Option

Step One: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Step Two: Spread olive oil on the cut squash and lay open side down onto a sheet pan. Cook for 20 minutes.

Step Three: While the squash is cooking in the oven, make the stuffing as directed above.

Step Four: Remove squash from oven after 20 minutes. Stuff each half with the sausage stuffing and put back in the oven for and additional 20 minutes or until fork tender or when the fork pierces the squash and easily comes out.

Storage

If there is any leftovers, make sure to wrap them up in a sealed container and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat by putting in the microwave for 2-3 minutes.

Meal Prep

This is a great recipe to consider meal prepping.

1. Chop onions and put in a container in the refrigerator.
2. Chop the apples and soak in lemon juice or Sprite for 10 minutes to make sure they won’t turn brown and then store in a sealed container overnight in the refrigerator.
3. Make the wild rice and store in a sealed container in the refrigerator.
4. Brown the sausage and store in a sealed container in the refrigerator.
5. Meal prep everything for the wild rice and store in the refrigerator in a sealed container.

To assemble, start with the GRILLING instructions above. Remove the meal prepped items out of the refrigerator 10-15 minutes before stuffing the squash to allow it to come to room temperature.

Serving Suggestions

We love to make these a few times in the fall and serve them with just about anything. Our favorites are:

Grilled Whole Turkey

Smoked Turkey Legs

Smoked Apple Cider Brined Turkey Breast

Grilled Lamb Chops

How to Grill Chicken Leg Quarters

📌 Expert Tips

I made a second batch later (when my wife wasn’t around!) and froze them for my work lunches.  I wrapped them individually in Cling Wrap and then put them in a gallon sized freezer bag.  

They reheated extremely well.  One to two minutes in the microwave, and it was well-heated.  If anything, the squash became a little bit softer, but it didn’t slow me down at all.

The skin is 100% edible and is thick enough to hold together while cooking, but soft enough to cut with a fork. It isn’t tough at all and keeps that great yellow color throughout the cooking process.

The squash is shaped like a zucchini and the skin is similar texture and completely edible, but the inside is delicious squash through and through.

Substitutions include: adding in cranberries or pomegranate to the wild rice mixture. Swap out the sausage for turkey or ground beef. Make it vegetarian by leaving out all of the meat.

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