Paleo lunch ideas

STUFFED SQUASH

I make this stuffed squash all the time in the fall and winter—it tastes great and seems pretty fancy even though it doesn’t take much time or effort to pull off. You can make these with any round squash you like; so far, my favorite is acorn. The first time I made this, my husband and I were living in Minnesota; it was our first winter there together, and roasted squash stuffed with savory meat in tomato sauce just felt right. SERVES 2

PREP TIME: 10 minutes

COOK TIME: 1 hour

2 round squash, such as acorn or 8-ball zucchini

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

½ teaspoon onion powder

½ onion, diced

1 pound ground beef

1½ teaspoons garlic powder

1½ teaspoons dried oregano

⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained

1 or 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil or oregano

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  2. Carefully cut the tops off the squash, scoop out the seeds, trim the bottoms if necessary so they will stand up straight, and season the insides with the olive oil, salt, pepper, and onion powder. Roast for 45 minutes.
  3. While the squash are in the oven, in a large sauté pan over medium heat, sauté the onion until slightly translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the beef, and break it up with a wooden spoon. Season with the garlic powder, oregano, red pepper flakes, and some more salt and pepper.
  4. Once the beef is no longer pink, 7 to 8 minutes, reduce the heat to low and add the tomatoes. Continue to simmer until the squash have finished cooking.
  5. To serve, place each squash in a bowl or on a plate and spoon the beef mixture into the centers. Garnish with the basil.

VARIATION 1 STUFFED ONION: Cut an onion in half, and remove most of the inside. Stuff each half with the ground beef mixture, and bake at 350°F for 20 minutes.

VARIATION 2 SPICY STUFFED SQUASH: To kick up the heat a notch, use 1 pound hot Italian sausage instead of beef (the cook time may be a few minutes longer).

PREP TIP: Assemble the stuffed squash up to 1 day ahead of time, and reheat when ready to serve.