The area of the seeds is just asking to be filled.
Acorn Squash is my favorite of all squashes, and its sweet taste fits beef so well. Half a squash filled with beef can be a light lunch or a full meal with a salad on the side. In the recipe, I add potatoes to the beef mix, but you can switch it with apples as well for a sweeter taste for the beef which goes well with the sweet taste of the squash.
The beef mix can be used to fill other vegetables as well – potatoes or yams for example. Just make sure you pre-cook them enough before, so you don’t dry the beef too much trying to cook the vegetable. You should use vegetables that keep some form after cooking and remember each vegetable takes a different time to cook.
Equipment
- Ice cream scoop (optional)
Ingredients
- 4 acorn squash
- 0.5 kg minced beef [1 lb]
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- ½ cup red dry wine
- 4 tbsp roughly mashed potato or cut to small pieces (you can also use apples for a sweeter taste)
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- 150 gr parmesan [5.5 oz]
- salt
- canola oil
Instructions
Pre Cook the Squash
- Cut the squashes to halves across the long part.
- Cut a bit of the outer shell, so it can lie with the inner part facing up.
- Take the seeds out. You can use an ice cream scoop to easily remove them.
- Rub canola oil on the inner part of the squash, and salt it.
- Place the squashes in an oven preheated to 200°C (400°F) for ~40-50 minutes, turning them in at 20-25 minutes. They are ready when they start to brown.
Prepare the Meat
- Heat a pan and add a bit of canola oil.
- Add the minced beef and salt it.
- Use a spatula to break the minced beef into small parts and let it cook fully. Use a spoon to carefully remove water exuding from the beef.
- Add the garlic and let it cook for a minute or two.
- Add the wine, nutmeg, potatoes, and soy sauce.
- Let it all cook until the liquids have mostly evaporated.
Fill the Squash
- When the squashes are ready, take them out of the oven.
- Carefully fill them with the meat, packing as much in as possible.
- Spread the parmesan on top.
- Place in an oven preheated to 180°C (360°F) for 10-15 minutes until the cheese melts and begins to lightly brown – don't let it burn.
