Fragrant Stuffed Butternut Squash With A Ground Beef Filling

Butternut squash is a delicious vegetable whose nutty, complex flavor makes it the perfect ingredient for uniquely delicious dishes. That being said, most of the recipes that use butternut squash don't put it in the spotlight quite like this recipe for a fragrant stuffed butternut squash does. We're filling a whole butternut squash with a deliciously seasoned ground beef, pea, celery, and cheese filling and baking it in the oven for a truly extraordinary dish. Healthy and tasty as can be, this stuffed butternut squash makes the perfect centerpiece for your next family dinner! 

Yield: 1
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cooking Time: 70 minutes
Inactive Time: 10 minutes
Difficulty Level: Moderate

You'll Need:

• 1 butternut squash
• ¼ stick butter
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 sprig of rosemary
• ½ cup frozen peas
• 5 slices of white bread, cubed
• 1 egg
• 9 oz ground beef
• 2 celery stalks
• ½ cup shredded cheese
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp paprika

Here's How:

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F and cut the butternut squash in half lengthwise. Remove the seeds and pulp from the inside and use a melon baller to scoop out some additional pieces of the squash to make room for the filling.

2. For the filling, melt the butter in a large frying pan and add in the diced onion. Cook the onions until they become translucent, then add in the rosemary, peas, and cubed pieces of bread, then cook everything together briefly. Remove the mixture from the heat and let it cool for 10 minutes, then stir in the egg.

3. Season the ground beef with paprika, salt, and pepper, then place it on a large piece of parchment paper. Place a second piece of parchment paper on top of the ground beef and use a cutting board to press down on it to mold it into the shape of a large, flat rectangle, then remove the second piece of parchment paper.

4. Cut the celery stalks so that they're slightly shorter than the long side of the ground beef rectangle. Fill the celery stalks with shredded cheese and place the stuffed celery stalks together so that the shredded cheese is sealed in the center. Place the celery stalks lengthwise near 1 edge of the ground beef rectangle.

5. Use the parchment paper to help roll the ground beef up around the stuffed celery stalks, then use your hands to seal in the edges.

6. Spoon the bread filling into the 2 hollowed-out halves of butternut squash, then place the ground beef roll in the center of 1 of the halves.

7. Press the 2 halves of butternut squash together, making sure the bread filling surrounds the ground beef roll, then place the stuffed butternut squash between the wells of a muffin pan. Transfer the muffin pan to the oven and bake the stuffed butternut squash at 400°F for 1 hour. 

8. Slice into this fragrant dish and see how stunning this stuffed butternut squash is!

This recipe proves just how delicious butternut squash can be. From the cheese and ground beef filling to the deliciously tender squash, this recipe is absolutely gourd-geous! 

Get the recipe for the Savory Pumpkin Cheesecake featured in the bonus video.