Stuffed Winter Squash

This simple recipe marries winter squash, late season spinach, and some grass fed ground beef to create a tasty dish in a fun package! I used some red kuri squash that came in my produce box, but it would work equally well with acorn or any kind of winter squash that has a large hollow space.

The squash needs a little lead time to roast in the oven before you add the filling and finish it off, so it might not be the best dish for busy weeknights when you need to get dinner on the table quickly. You could work around that by roasting the squash ahead of time (I’m a big fan of the weekend cook-up plan when I know I’m going to have a busy week ahead). In fact, this could be a complete make ahead meal, with just the final step of heating and marrying the flavors together in the oven being done just prior to eating.

You could also vary the fillings – use a different type of ground meat, season with some other spices or herbs, or sub in different vegetables for the spinach. This is as much a template as it is a recipe so have fun with it!

Notes for healing diets:

• SCD or GAPS: Legal.
• AIP: No modifications needed, unless you are avoiding seed based spices, in which case you’d want to omit the pepper.
• Low FODMAPS: Omit the onions and garlic and be cautious with the squash. I can’t find any analysis of red kuri squash specifically, and can only go by what I see for other types of squash. Some lists indicate that pumpkin is high FODMAP and butternut squash is moderate. Others put both in the moderate category. Use your own tolerance level as a guide.

Stuffed Winter Squash

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• Author: Jaime Hartman
• Total Time: 1 hour 5 mins
• Yield: 4 1x

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Description

Winter squash makes a great vessel for a mixture of ground meat and vegetables.

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Ingredients

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• 2 winter squashes such as red kuri, kabocha, carnival, or acorn
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
• 1 pound of ground beef (preferably grass fed)
• 1 cup spinach, washed and roughly chopped
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1/2 teaspoon dired thyme

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cut squashes in half and scoop out seeds. Place on baking sheet, cut side up, and roast in oven for 45 minutes or until flesh is very soft.
3. Melt coconut oil in skillet over medium heat and cook onions until slightly soft (about 5 minutes).
4. Add garlic and cook until fragrant (about 1 minute).
5. Add ground beef and cook until no longer pink. Add spinach and cook until spinach is wilted (just a minute or two will be enough).
6. Add salt and pepper to taste and herbs.
7. Remove squash from oven and divide meat and vegetable between four squash halves.
8. Return to oven and allow to roast for about 10 minutes so that flavors can blend together. Remove and allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving.

• Prep Time: 5 mins
• Cook Time: 1 hour
• Category: Main

Want more recipes like this? Check out this Paleo Winter Vegetable Recipe Roundup from Like a Normal Person!

Shared on Phoenix Helix’s Paleo AIP Recipe Roundtable, Peeling Back the Onion Layer’s Healing With Food Friday.