Middle Eastern Twice-Baked Acorn Squash
with ground beef / couscous / feta

Name: Middle Eastern Twice-Baked Acorn Squash
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 1 cup Stock, any type (sub water); 1/4 tsp Salt; 2 Tbsp Butter; 3/4 cup Couscous, uncooked; 1/2 Onions, medium, diced; 2 Acorn squash, halved and seeds removed (if using large squash estimate half a squash / serving; if using smaller squash, use one whole squash / serving); 6 Mint leaves, chopped; 1 Tbsp Oil, cooking; 1 lb Beef, ground and lean; 4 oz Baby kale (sub baby spinach or regular kale with stems discarded, leaves chopped); 1 1/2 cups Cooked couscous (ingredients listed separately); 3 oz Cheese, feta, crumbled; 1/4 cup Pomegranate seeds (look for these removed from the pomegranate shells in the produce section; sub chopped nuts or skip); for serving Yogurt, plain or Greek; for serving Pita chips (opt); 1 tsp Paprika, smoked (sub regular paprika); 1/2 tsp Cumin, ground; 1/2 tsp Coriander, ground; 1/2 tsp Salt; 1/4 tsp Black pepper; 1/4 tsp Cinnamon, ground; 1/4 tsp Turmeric, ground (opt)

Active: 45 min Total: 45 min

Original GF Paleo Vegetarian

Tender baked acorn squash is stuffed with fragrant spiced ground beef, couscous, and feta in this fun, flavorful meal. Pita chips are great on the side to scoop up and enjoy all of the elements together.
Smarts #1: You can eat the peel of the acorn squash if you'd like - it gets very soft when baked.
Smarts #2: To prepare this meal ahead, assemble the squash with filling up to 3 days before baking.

Ingredients

Metric

Servings:

Couscous:

Stock, any type - 1 cup (sub water)
Salt - 1/4 tsp
Butter - 2 Tbsp
Couscous, uncooked - 3/4 cup

Middle Eastern Twice-Baked Acorn Squash:

Onions, medium - 1/2 , diced
Acorn squash - 2 , halved and seeds removed (if using large squash estimate half a squash / serving; if using smaller squash, use one whole squash / serving)
Mint leaves - 6 , chopped
Oil, cooking - 1 Tbsp
Beef, ground and lean - 1 lb
Baby kale - 4 oz (sub baby spinach or regular kale with stems discarded, leaves chopped)
Cooked couscous (ingredients listed separately) - 1 1/2 cups
Cheese, feta - 3 oz , crumbled
Pomegranate seeds - 1/4 cup (look for these removed from the pomegranate shells in the produce section; sub chopped nuts or skip)
Yogurt, plain or Greek - for serving
Pita chips (opt) - for serving

Middle Eastern Spice Blend:

Paprika, smoked - 1 tsp (sub regular paprika)
Cumin, ground - 1/2 tsp
Coriander, ground - 1/2 tsp
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Black pepper - 1/4 tsp
Cinnamon, ground - 1/4 tsp
Turmeric, ground (opt) - 1/4 tsp

Prep

Make couscous - (Skip if made ahead for Tuesday; if prepping right before cooking, get oven heating first.) Combine stock, salt (portion for couscous), and butter in a saucepan. Cover and bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Stir in couscous and cover with lid. Let stand for ~5 minutes before fluffing with a fork. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
Make spice blend - Combine paprika, cumin, coriander, salt (portion for spice blend), black pepper, cinnamon, and turmeric. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
Onions / Acorn squash - Prep as directed. To help the acorn squash sit upright as it bakes, slice a small sliver off the top and bottom before slicing in half horizontally. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
Mint - Chop mint.

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Make

Heat oven to 400F / 204C.
Brush a sheet pan with some oil. Place squash halves cut-side down on sheet pan and roast until tender enough to pierce with a fork, 20 to 25 minutes.
While squash roasts, heat a skillet or saute pan with oil over medium-high heat. Add onions and saute until tender, 3 to 4 minutes.
To onions, add ground beef and spice mix. Saute, breaking beef apart, until browned, 8 to 10 minutes.
When beef is nearly finished cooking, stir in baby kale.
Combine beef with couscous and crumbled feta (you can do this in the skillet if there is room, or transfer to a mixing bowl). Taste filling and season with some salt and pepper, if needed.
When squash is tender, remove it from the oven and set aside until cool enough to handle. Flip squash halves and season the insides with some salt.
Spoon filling into squash halves, mounding it over top and pressing it down gently if needed.
Return squash to oven and bake for 10 minutes more to let the flavors come together.
Top squash with mint and pomegranate seeds. Serve with yogurt and pita chips for scooping. Enjoy!

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