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Fall is in full swing, which means pumpkins and squash galore at farmers markets! I found some super cheap acorn squash at my favorite roadside farm stand a few weeks back, and I immediately started brainstorming recipe ideas. What to stuff it with!?
After doing a quick survey of my recipe inventory, I realized Maria Makes is seriously lacking beef recipes! So here we go...
I decided to go with a Thai green curry filling, featuring ground beef and lots of veggies! It's a surprising flavor combo, but the sweet squash perfectly compliments the green curry.
Thai Beef Curry Stuffed Acorn Squash
Inspired by Ground Beef Stuffed Acorn Squash by The Healthy Foodie.
Makes: 4 servings
Ingredients:
2 large acorn squash
1/2 large sweet onion, chopped
2 red bell peppers, chopped
1 lb grass-fed ground beef
4 oz green curry paste (I like Thai Kitchen)
1/4 cup coconut milk (I like Thai Kitchen, use the thick cream from the top of the can)
8 oz frozen chopped kale
1/2 cup almond meal
salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
Using a large, sharp knife, cut squash in half and scoop/scrape out the seeds. Spray each half with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake them, flesh side down, on a foil lined cookie sheet for 20-30 minutes, or until flesh can be easily pierced with a knife.
While the squash bake, prepare the filling. Heat a large skillet over medium high and saute peppers and onions for about 3 minutes. Push the peppers and onions to the side of the pan and add the ground beef, breaking it apart and browning it.
Add in frozen kale, 1/4 cup of coconut milk, and curry paste.
TIP: Make sure you use the thick coconut cream from the top of the can of coconut milk. Adjust amount of curry to taste. I thought it needed more flavor, so I ended up using the whole jar!
Flip the squash halves over and scoop out some of the flesh, leaving about a half inch inside the skin. Add the scooped out squash to the beef mixture and stir to combine.
Add in 1/2 cup of almond meal and cook until the whole mixture thickens (a few minutes).
Portion beef mixture out, filling the squash halves. Sprinkle with almond meal and return to the oven for 10-15 minutes.
ENJOY!
TIP: If you don't plan to eat them all, you can wrap each half with saran wrap and store in a gallon sized zip lock bag in the freezer!
