Southwestern Ground Beef Stuffed Butternut Squash is an easy weeknight dinner that combines Autumn/Winter squash together with Tex-Mex flavors to create the ultimate comfort food that has everything! Protein, veggies, fiber, carbs, and cheese. It's gluten-free and perfect for meal prep! This recipe features Black Beans, Corn, Tomatoes, Green Onions, mild Green Chiles, Cheddar, and Pepper Jack Cheese.
Course Main Course
Cuisine American, Southwestern
Keyword ground beef stuffed butternut squash
Prep Time 20 minutesminutes
Cook Time 40 minutesminutes
Total Time 1 hourhour
Servings 4people
Calories 858kcal
Author Julia
Ingredients
Roasted butternut squash
2butternut squash(medium size - I used the ones that were 7 or 8 inches long)
Prepare the butternut squash. Slice each one in half lengthwise. (Note: you can microwave a whole butternut squash (before slicing it in half) in the microwave oven for 5 or 10 minutes to soften it up). Keep fingers away from the knife to avoid injury. Use a spoon to scoop out the seeds and fleshy strands tangled with the seeds.
Place butternut squash cut sides up on a baking sheet. Drizzle the cut sides of butternut squashes with olive oil and rub the oil into the squash. Season generously with salt and pepper. Turn the squash over, and place it cut sides down on a baking sheet. (Tip: you can line the baking sheet with parchment paper for easy clean-up.)
Roast in the preheated oven at 400 F for 30 or 40 minutes on the middle rack.
Make Southwestern ground beef mixture
While you roast the butternut squash, make the Southwestern ground beef mixture.
In a large, high-sided skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil on medium heat. Add ground beef and cook until completely cooked through. Drain any fat and liquid.
Add all the spices to the drained and cooked ground beef and mix to combine - chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt.
Add drained and rinsed black beans, corn, sliced cherry tomatoes, diced mild green chiles, and half of the chopped green onions to the same skillet and mix very well to combine over medium heat.
Taste and season with more spices and mores salt, if needed.
How to stuff butternut squash
By this time, you have roasted the butternut squash for 30 or 40 minutes. Remove it from the oven and turn cooked squash halves cut sides up.
Let it cool slightly. Using a spoon, scoop out the flesh leaving about a 1-inch border along the sides. (For reference, I provide the step-by-step photos for this step, above the recipe card).
Add the scooped out flesh to the skillet with the ground beef mixture and mix to combine. Reheat.
Divide the ground beef mixture among the 4 halves and stuff the squash until the mixture is leveled or a bit higher.
Top the ground beef stuffed butternut squash with shredded cheddar and pepper jack cheese.
Roast the stuffed butternut squash in the preheated oven at 400 F for 15 more minutes on medium rack until the cheese mixture melts.
Top with the remaining half of the chopped green onions.