Butternut Squash Boats
This recipe is a fall food lover’s dream come true! Beloved butternut squash halves are loaded with savory ingredients that make this a nourishing dish that comes together in under an hour. Between the juicy apples, crunchy celery, and aromatic garlic, this is a magical meal the whole family is bound to love!
Ingredients:
1 butternut squash
avocado oil/ghee
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup celery, diced
1/2 cup red onions, diced
1 cup apples, chopped
3/4 pound organic (grass-finished) ground beef
1/2 tbsp pepper
1 tsp of each: oregano, pink salt, rosemary
red pepper flakes, for garnish (optional)
tahini, for drizzling (optional)
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper,
Using a large chef’s knife, slice the squash in half vertically then scoop out the seeds. Place both halves on the baking sheet, then coat the inner sides of the squash with avocado oil/ghee. Let these cook in the oven for 45-50 minutes, or until you can stick a utensil in the center with ease to verify that the center is soft. Allow the halves to cool for 5-10 minutes after cooking.
Meanwhile, make the “stuffing” for the squash. Add the minced garlic and diced celery and onions to a skillet with about 1 tbsp more of avocado oil/ghee to grease it. Sauté these until the onions start to become translucent.
Add the chopped apples and ground beef. Once everything is mixed together well, cover and let this simmer for about 4 minutes, or until most of the apples become soft.
Sprinkle in all of the spices, stir everything up, then cover the skillet once more for 2-3 minutes to allow everything to soak in the spices’ flavors.
If the squash is still cooking/cooling, place this stuffing mixture on very low heat and stir it occasionally. Once they are done, however, carefully (they’re hot!) scoop out the center of the squash halves so there is a pit for the mixture to go into, but there is also some squash all along the edges and bases. Split the mixture in half and add it to each of the squash halves, then garnish with red pepper flakes for a spicy kick and toss in some tahini drizzles!
Enjoy! Store leftovers, if any, in an airtight container in the fridge for up to about 5 days.
Notes:
Save the inside of the squash that’s removed after cooking and cooling! This can be thrown into bowls, soups, and more instead of just tossing it.
