Stuffed Acorn Squash with kale, brussels sprouts, ground beef, and onion. This simple, clean meal keeps weeknight eats fun and interesting.
Whenever I find myself in a creative slump for my weeknight meals, I turn toward stuffed vegetables or casseroles to change things up.
You can still keep it fresh, seasonal, clean and friendly to your dietary needs – you’re basically just dressing up the same concept in different clothing.
In this case, we’re going with stuffed acorn squash, filling it with some ground beef (I use ButcherBox’s grass-fed ground beef), onion, brussels sprouts, and kale.
WHAMO, only a few ingredients and ALL THE NUTRIENTS!
Let’s do this!
How to Make Stuffed Acorn Squash:
Begin by roasting the acorn squash.
Chop the tip and tail off of the squash, then use a spoon to scoop out the innards. Drizzle the flesh with oil, sprinkle with salt and roast face-down on a baking sheet.
While the squash is roasting, prepare the stuffing mixture.
Sauté the onion, followed by the brussels sprouts, then add in the meat and kale, cooking until everything is cooked through.
Simply stuff the acorn squash with the ground meat and vegetable mixture, serve and enjoy!
What Type of Ground Beef Should I Use?:
I always use grass-fed beef because it contains more nutrients than grain-fed. Plus you get a nice dose of omega-3 fats.
An added bonus, is it tastes better than grain-fed beef (in my opinion). I use 85/15 beef, which is what makes this skillet super flavorful, but you can go with your preferred fat content.
I source all of my beef from ButcherBox, which serves up grass-fed, grass-finished beef as well as heritage pork, organic chicken, and wild Alaskan salmon.
In addition to the fact that the beef is never grain-fed, I love that there are no added hormones or antibiotics. It’s really just clean, great tasting beef! I simply place an order whenever I’m running low on animal protein to keep my freezer stocked.
Recipe Adaptations:
- Replace ground beef with any type of ground meat. Turkey or bison would be my two follow up preferences.
- Roast 2 to 4 acorn squash depending on how many people you’re serving – the recipe makes enough beef filling to stuff 4 acorn squash (8 halves).
- Incorporate your favorite seasonal vegetables.
- Add in your favorite fresh herbs and spices
- If you aren’t dairy-free, serve with fresh grated white cheddar or gruyere.
- Use butternut squash, kabocha squash, or spaghetti squash in place of acorn squash.
Serving Options:
I roasted up some heirloom carrots to go along with the meal, but you can serve with your favorite vegetable side, like cauliflower rice, roasted vegetables, lentils or white/brown rice.
More Stuffed Squash Recipes:
- Turkey Stuffed Butternut Squash
- Taco Stuffed Delicata Squash
- Stuffed Zucchini with Turkey Sausage
- Ground Turkey Stuffed Delicata Squash
Stuff that squash!
If you make this recipe, please feel free to share a photo on Instagram and tag @The.Roasted.Root!
Ingredients
- 2 acorn squash
- 2 Tbsp avocado oil, divided
- 1/2 yellow onion, diced*
- 2 cups brussels sprouts, sliced in half*
- 3 cloves garlic, minced*
- 1 lb grass-fed ground beef
- 1 Tbsp dried oregano
- 2 tsp dried parsley
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp sea salt, to taste
- 1 small head kale, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Chop the tip and tail off of the acorn squashes, slice in half, and scoop out the insides. Drizzle the flesh with a small amount of oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Place squash cut-side down on a large baking sheet and bake 50 to 60 minutes, until very tender when poked with a fork.
- While the acorn squash is roasting, prepare the ground beef filling. Add 1 Tablespoon avocado oil to a large skillet and heat to medium. Add the onion and saute, stirring occasionally, until onion is very soft, about 5 to 8 minutes.
- Add the brussels sprouts and garlic, cover, and cook 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Scoot the vegetables off to one side of the skillet and add the ground beef. Allow it to brown 2 to 3 minutes, then mix it into the rest of the skillet. Add the remaining ingredients (oregano through kale), cover, and cook until kale has wilted, about 5 minutes.
- Place acorn squash halves on plates and stuff with desired amount of the beef stuffing mixture. Serve with your favorite side dish and enjoy.
Terry
Friday 10th of March 2023
I do not like kale but eat spinach. If I substituted spinach for the kale how much would I use?
Julia
Monday 13th of March 2023
I would use 4 cups of baby spinach to replace the kale :) Hope you enjoy!
slywlf
Monday 29th of October 2018
(whimper) This sounds so yummy and I can't cook for two more days! My work schedule makes it impossible :-( Trust me, this is on my to-cook list ASAP! Yum! All the ingredients and on my list and this is just the time of year for such deliciousness ;-)