Bratwurst and Butternut Squash Stew Recipe
A hearty, warming dish filled with flavorful sausage and fresh veggies.
What to buy: Bratwurst is widely available, but if you can’t find it or don’t like it, just use another fresh sausage you like.
This dish was featured as part of our Oktoberfest Party Recipes gallery.
- 1 (1-pound) butternut squash
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 12 ounces fresh Bratwurst Sausage (about 3 sausages)
- 1 medium yellow onion, medium dice
- 4 medium garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 10 ounces red potatoes, large dice
- 3/4 teaspoon caraway seeds
- 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes and their juices
- 3 cups water
- 6 ounces baby spinach
- Prepare the squash: Peel off the skin with a vegetable peeler.
Trim the top and bottom.
Cut the neck from the bulb of the squash.
Halve each piece lengthwise and scrape out the seeds.
Cut the squash into 1-inch cubes and set aside. - Heat the oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat. When it shimmers, add the sausage and cook, turning occasionally, until well browned all over, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove to a plate and set aside.
- Return the pan to medium heat, add the onion and garlic, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Add the squash and potatoes and cook until the potatoes are just starting to brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in the caraway and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add the tomatoes, their juices, and water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the vegetables are fork tender, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Slice the reserved sausage into 1/2-inch rounds and add it to the pan along with the spinach. Cook until the sausage is heated through and the spinach is wilted, about 2 minutes.
Made this tonight, loved it! Super easy and will be a go-to this fall for sure.
Just made this tonight and thought it was very good. I did not have caraway seeds so I tossed in some fresh thyme and a couple of bay leaves. My kids enjoyed it and had no idea how many vegetables they were getting. Win!
I made this soup with beer bratts and it was so yummy. I'll be making this a lot this winter. I'm printing out the recipe and saving it!
Does the butternut squash need to be peeled before roasting?
I have a surplus of butternut squash from our garden and I was thrilled to see this recipe. However I made several changes and the end result was delicious. The biggest change was I roasted the squash and potatoes in the oven before assembling all the ingredients. I diced both the squash and potatoes and coated them with a few tablespoons of EVOO, seasoned with S&P, and roasted them in a single layer for about 23-25 minutes at 400. I also used a new Butterball product we love in my home and it is a turkey-Kielbasa. After sauteing the onions for a few minutes I added the sausage, canned diced tomatoes drained, and cumin, sage, and sweet chili powder. The roasted vegetables were then added along with a cup of broth. I didn't have any caraway seeds, so that ingredient was omitted, and I just wasn't in the mood for garlic so I left that off also, but I don't know how this dish could have tasted any better because this was fabulous ! I will prepare this dish again soon. Thanx for the brilliant idea.
I'm in the middle of this right now. First, butternut squash is a real pain to work with. I recall reading a tip somewhere that if you microwave it for 30 seconds it's easier to peel. Secondly, I think next time I'll use a bigger vessell. The squash and potatoes are hard to brown if they are piled up on one another. I realized before cooking that the onions would probably overcook if I browned them first before the potatoes and squash and I reversed the order there. I think that worked out. I decided to skip the garlic. I just don't see that as a good fit in this dish. Also, I grilled the brats. I used Johnsonville, and I think next time I'll use more of a white sausage. That said, it seems to be coming together pretty well
I really like the idea of grilling the brats and definitely will try that; in lieu of water, I would use beer, a nice light (not lite) pils would be good, IMO. No spinach though, maybe kale or chard.
Oh, I am so going to make this - but what I'm gonna do with the sausage is what I've been doing with all my sausage dishes: grill it instead of frying it. The idea occurred to me last time I made choucroute garni, and I suddenly remembered I have a gas grill just outside the back door. It was a signal improvement. This is especially true if most of the cooking will happen in the casserole, since you get a nice semi-charred flavor without overcooking them.
Great! A few modifications: 1. After adding squash and potatoes, I added generous dashes of oregano, thyme, marjoram, and dried red pepper flakes. Perfect amount of a little heat in the end, and some herbal notes to complement the caraway. 2. I used whole peeled tomatoes in a can, and ran it through the blender before adding it to the pot. As there wasn't much liquid left by the end of the simmering, I think the added juice was a plus. A very flavorful vegetable stew; I think it would be fantastic even without the sausage (I used turkey). Will make it again!
This was very good. I was able to use fresh tomatoes from the garden and doubled the amount of brats. I almost blew off the caraway but since I was at the store I picked some up and I thought it made a big difference. The next time I make this I'll remove the onion/garlic to a plate and then brown the squash and taters since the former gets in the way of the latter and the browning was minimal.