I made another fall family favorite today. It’s a recipe that keeps on giving. It is a delicious dinner and also a super easy way to meal plan and prep ahead for the week. Without further ado, here is how to prepare once, eat twice:
STUFFED ACORN SQUASH (GF, DF)
Ingredients:
2 large acorn squashes
1 lb Riverbend Ranch grass-fed ground beef (contact me directly if you want to sample this amazing beef)
1 small yellow onion, diced
1 TBSP lard/oil
1 cup rice, quinoa, millet or a mix
2 cups vegetable or bone broth
5 large broccoli florets, diced
1 red bell pepper diced or 1/4 cup roasted red pepper
Sea salt, black pepper, Hungarian paprika (mild or hot) to taste
Preparation:
Squash:
Preheat oven to 350F
Cut squashes in half, remove seeds and place halves face down in a large baking dish. Add a 1/2 inch water and place in oven to bake for about 20-25 minutes, until medium soft to the touch (half way baked through)
Remove from oven and pull aside while stuffing is prepared
While baking, prepare meat and grains
Meat:
Heat lard/oil in a large skillet on medium heat and sauté diced onions until softened, glassy.
Add broccoli and red peppers and sauté for 5 minutes. (If using roasted red peppers, add later when mixing all ingredients)
Add ground beef and cook for about 10 minutes.
Season with salt, pepper and paprika to taste
Remove from heat and pull aside
Grains:
In a large pot, bring broth to boil
Add grain (rice, millet or quinoa), reduce heat and simmer covered for 10 minutes or until grain is cooked through
Remove from heat and pull aside
Mixing it into Stuffing:
In a large mixing bowl, mix prepared beef and grains in equal amounts (if there is leftover, you can serve it the next day for lunch or dinner)
Add roasted red peppers (if using) and mix
Season to taste
Putting it all together:
Scoop stuffing into 4 acorn squash halves in equal portions
Place in oven and bake for another 10-15 minutes, until stuffing is bubbly
Remove from oven, serve and enjoy!
Tips:
You can double the meat and grain portions and use leftovers the next day for dinner with steamed vegetables or a side of fresh salad.
If you double the recipe, you can assemble and bake half for dinner one night, and place the other half of assembled (but unbaked) squashes in glass container covered in fridge overnight, to bake at 350F the next night for dinner
My PRO tip?
You can use Riverbend Ranch's ground beef in the recipe. It is the highest quality grass-fed beef you can find, delivered straight to your door in a monthly or bi-monthly beef subscription through the patriot Wellness box, America's largest online wellness shop club! How convenient is that?
What do you need to know about beef, in general? Be very discerning when it comes to selecting your beef. Here are some things to consider
type of cut - USDA prime or high choice. I try to never go below these top two qualities.
use of antibiotics and/or hormones - I look for sources that NEVER use these
location raised - I prefer USA raised on USA-owned farms
location processed - I prefer USA processed
diet of animals - grass-fed, grass finished is my choice
price - is a determining factor for me
If you would like to try Riverbend Ranch's steaks and give the subscription box a try (no risk, free cancellation any time), send me an email and I will get you set up!
Stay happy and healthy,
Eva