Once again, we have a stuffed food… my fave. I’ve written about loving stuffed foods so much I know, but it’s true… food inside food is always a good idea 🙂 So here we have stuffed squash, which I’ve made several times in the past- with quinoa, veggies, rice, etc- but this time it’s with meat. And not just any meat, but a spiced delicious herby meat. This meal was inspired by my friend Kelley. She had me over for din recently and made something similar- a spiced meat stuffed squash of sorts. Hers was with some delicious round squash she got from a farm she works at. It was SOO good. So days later when I got these two beautiful yellow squash from my CSA, I decided to give it a go at home. I wasn’t sure what she put in her recipe, other than allspice, so I threw in what I thought would be tasty… and it was incredibly so! Two scrumptious stuffed squash dinners in one week… yay! So thank you, Kelley, for inspiring this delicious treat!!
A little melted cheese on top in the icing on the cake… yummm!
It’s a perfect meal for this time of year… everything is growing fresh. The squash, onion, garlic, and marjoram are from my CSA and the tomatoes are form my garden… all so colorful and fresh!
Marjoram is also known as wild oregano… it’s flavorful and strong!
If you don’t have any, substitute oregano instead… no biggie 🙂
INGREDIENTS
2 squash- long, round, or whatever kind you have!
1 lb ground beef (turkey or any other ground meat works, too)
1/2 onion (any color)
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp marjoram (oregano works, too)
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp thyme
1/8 tsp paprika
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
2 medium tomatoes
1 tbsp fresh basil, plus more for garnish
Slices of cheese- Havarti, Dubliner, Provolone- any white cheese
(I used Dubliner- a sharp Irish Cheddar)
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Start by baking squash… by the time it bakes, the meat filling
will be done and ready to stuff!
Cut squash in half
Using a spoon, cut an edge around the center of squash and then scoop out flesh
Scrape along interior to make smooth and clean… and ready to go!
Lay squash on a baking sheet
Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper
Turn face down and bake for about 20 minutes, until cooked
Meanwhile, prepare meat stuffing…
Chop onion and saute in a pan wt some olive oil over medium heat
Sprinkle with 1/4 tsp of the salt and 1/8 tsp pepper
When onions have softened, add meat
Stir to spread evenly in pan
Add herbs and seasonings…
Pull leaves off of marjoram, if using fresh, by holding stem
and pulling leaves opposite of direction they grow
Finely mince garlic and add to meat
Add thyme, paprika, and red pepper flakes
And basil and tomatoes…
Stir and cook until meat is completely brown
Taste, adjust seasonings as desired, and let cook over low heat until squash is ready
As the meat cooks, it will become softer and softer in the liquids- delicious!
Squash should be ready about now…
Flip over squash…
And fill with meat
Slice cheese…
And top meat with slices
Place back in oven ad bake for about 10 minutes, until cheese is melted
Sprinkle with basil and enjoy!!
