Stuffed Butternut Squash with Beef & Kale topped and a Cinnamon Tahini Sauce makes an easy and healthy flavor packed meal. Comes together in 50 minus with 15 minutes of active cooking time. Full of protein, carbs, and healthy fats and is paleo, gluten free, and Whole30 approved!
Last updated on February 5, 2020. This post was originally post in October 2017 and sponsored in partnership with Whole Foods Market. All opinions expressed (as always) are my own. I only partner with brands I trust and personally recommend – thank you for your support in helping make Eat the Gains possible!
Say hello to my new favorite healthy comfort food – beef stuffed butternut squash with cinnamon tahini sauce!!
I know the flavor combination might sound a little strange, especially with the sauce but trust me.
First, it has some sweetness from the butternut squash. Then the beef brings some savoriness, it has greens from the kale, and cinnamon and red pepper flakes for a little spice. Finally the sauce brings it all together with some sweet, savoriness, and acidity.
And it makes an all around healthy balanced meal – carbs from the squash, fat and protein from the beef, and veggies from kale, onion, and squash.
If you follow me on Instagram and watch my stories, you see we eat ground beef pretty regularly – it packs protein and fats and I can cook it up in less than 10 minutes for a quick and easy dinner.
But since I used to be a pescatarian, I’m particular about the that beef comes into our house. Shopping at Whole Foods Market, I don’t have to worry – they have animal welfare quality standards that covers every meat in their meat department.
Animals are never given any antibiotics, no added growth hormones, no added preservatives, have required inspections for animal welfares, and Whole Foods Market is committed to transparency and traceable from ranch or farm. They make finding great sourced meat easy for you.
Stuffed Butternut Squash with Beef & Kale
This stuffed squash might look fancy, but it’s super easy to make and only a handful of ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry or fridge. They come together in about 50 minutes, with only 15 minutes of active cooking time. Perfect for a hearty and comforting healthy weeknight dinner or to serve for friends and family at a party.
Here is what you need:
- butternut squash
- ground beef
- onion
- kale
- cumin
- garlic powder
- cinnamon
- red pepper flakes
- salt and pepper
First start off by prepping your squash. Cut in half length wise and remove the seeds. I like to drizzle the flesh with a little bit of oil and salt and pepper to give it in some while it cooks. Roast flesh side down for 40-45 minutes until soft and the flesh gives a little when you poke it.
While the squash cooks, make the tahini sauce (see below).
When the squash has about 10 minutes left, make the beef. Heat up a large cast iron skillet and add a little oil. First saute the onion for 2-3 minutes until softened. Then add your ground beef and some salt and pepper and break it up with the back of a spoon. Saute for 3-4 minutes.
Next add your kale and saute for another 2-3 minutes until wilted down and the beef is cooked through. Turn off the heat and stir in the lemon juice and spices and mix well to combine.
The squash should be about done. Remove from oven and flip over. Evenly distribute the ground beef mixture among the squash. Finally top with the tahini sauce and enjoy!
Cinnamon Tahini Sauce
It’s not an ETG meal without some kind of sauce and I am absolutely obsessed with this cinnamon tahini sauce. I know what you are thinking – sounds weird and why would I want to put that on my ground beef. But you won’t regret it – it’s sweet and savory with a little acidity and the perfect compliment to the ground beef and butternut squash.
Here is what you need:
- tahini
- coconut aminos
- water
- lemon juice
- cinnamon
Simply add all the ingredients to a small glass or bowl and mix well to combine. If needed you can add more water if you want a thinner consistency. You want to be about to drizzle it on top of the squash.
Can you eat the skin of Butternut Squash?
Butternut squash has a thick and sometimes waxy skin. When it is cooked, it becomes a lot softer and more tender. Technically all winter squash skin is edible, but some are more desirable than others (the smaller the squash, the more soft the skin will be and easier to eat). While you can eat the skin of butternut squash (and I have!), it is best to just scoop out the flesh while eating these stuffed butternut squashes and leave behind the skin.
Meal Prep Stuffed Butternut Squash
Stuffed squash is a great option to make for meal prep. You can do it one of two ways:
- Make the squash and sauce beforehand – roast the squash and make the sauce a few days before you want to eat. Store in the fridge and when you are ready to eat, simply heat up the squash and make the ground beef mixture.
- Make everything at once – on your meal prep day, make all the components and store all the components separately in the fridge. When ready to eat, just heat them up individually and top with the sauce. You can also assemble individual meals and heat it all up at once (without the sauce).
Substitutions for Beef Stuffed Butternut Squash
One of the best things about stuffed butternut squash is that you can customize it to your liking. Feel free to make the recipe your own with whatever you have in stock in your kitchen. Here are some good substitutions or add-ins you can add to the recipe:
- ground meat – feel free to use any kind of ground meat you like. Turkey or chicken would work great!
- squash – any kind of squash will work – acorn, delicata, buttercup, kabocha, or carnival. Sweet potatoes would even be delicious if you don’t have squash!
- spices – the easiest way to change up the flavors in dishes is to change up the spices! Some good ones off the top of my head would be onion powder, paprika, or curry powder, but any spice mixture you like!
- veggies – if you want to up the veggies more, add in whatever chopped veggies you like! Easy ones to add would be peppers and mushrooms.
More Paleo Ground Beef Recipes
Paleo Beef & Broccoli Stir Fry
Whole30 Italian Beef Zucchini Boats
Stuffed Butternut Squash with Beef & Kale
Ingredients
Stuffed Squash
- 2 small butternut squashes, cut in half and deseeded (1200-1300 grams each, raw)
- 1 pound ground beef (I used 85% lean)
- 4 cups packed kale, chopped (140 grams)
- 1/2 cup chopped onion (60 grams)
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- avocado oil, for greasing
Cinnamon Tahini Sauce
- 2 tablespoons tahini
- 1 tablespoon coconut aminos
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Line 1-2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Drizzle some avocado oil and salt and pepper on the flesh of butternut squash. Place cut side down and roast for 40-45 minutes until soft.
- Make the sauce. Combine all sauce ingredients in a small mixing bowl and whisk together. Add more water if needed. Set aside.
- When there is 10 minutes left on the squash, make the beef. Heat a large well seasoned cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add oil if needed. Once hot (about 1-2 minutes), add onions. Sauté for 2-3 minutes until soft. Add ground beef and salt and pepper and break it up with the back of a large spoon. Cook for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add kale and cook for another 2-3 minutes until wilted and beef is cooked through and no pink remains. Add cumin, garilc powder, cinnamon, red pepper flakes, lemon juice, and a little salt and pepper and stir through.
- Remove squash from oven and let cool a minute. Evenly distribute ground beef mixture over squashes and top with tahini sauce. Enjoy!
Nutrition
This post may contain affiliate links and I may make little bit of money if you click on and purchase the products that are linked. It doesn’t cost you any extra money. The compensation helps with expenses to keep ETG up and running. I truly appreciate your support!
This looks UNREAL!
Thanks Sara! I hope you like it!!
I was drooling over this dish on your instastories!
Yay! It has become my new fall favorite. Thanks Kristin!
Looks so delish – and perfect for Whole30 (which we are on until mid-November! hah!)
Thanks Jen! And yes, perfect for Whole30 – I hope it is going well for you!
Can you add me to your distribution list for recipes. This looks so good.
Hi Joanie! I just added you – hope you enjoy the recipes 🙂
I would love to be on your list too!
Hi Shelia! I just added you. Please let me know if that worked and you get the free meal prep guide. Thanks!
I made this tonight. It was amazing! What a fabulous blend of flavors. The sauce is incredible!
Yay! So glad to hear that Sarah! This was one of my favorite recipes from last year, I love the sauce too! Thanks for trying it 🙂
I made this for dinner last night and it was a hit! I’m definitely going to be searching the website for more tahini-based sauces.
So glad you enjoyed it Sarah! Tahini is my favorite, I have a handful of recipes with it!
Excellent recipe! Very easy to make, start to finish about an hour and delicious! My husband and I both loved. The tahini sauce is super yummy and this is different than our normal recipes, so nice to mix in. Thank you!
So glad you both loved it! I’m a huge fan of the sauce too! Thanks for trying it Erica!
LOVE LOVE LOVE this recipe. Honestly probably going to make this at least two more times this month during my first Whole30! If you’re looking for something that is super filling, really easy, and a unique flavor profile look no further. It’s sweet with a hint of savory which at this point in my Whole30 (Day 6) I am totally craving anything sweet! (TBH I wanted to lick the jar I made the sauce in…that good.)
I’ve been working my way through your blog and your sauces and so many recipes are making this first Whole30 experience the easiest thing I’ve ever done. Thank you for putting out such great content!!
Aw thank you so much Mary Alice, that just made my day. I’m so glad you liked it and glad you are finding my blog helpful! I appreciate you being here 🙂
I made this last week for my family of four, which includes a 3 year old and a 4 year old. Every single one of us loved it, I didn’t have to argue with my kids at all about finishing their dinner! Will definitely be making again!
Aw yay, that makes me so so happy! I don’t have kids, but I’m glad to hear it was a hit with them. Thanks so much for trying it Jayna!
This is a staple in our house! We use Trader Joe’s butternut squash zigzags and my husband raves about how this is his favorite dinner every time I make it!
YAY! That makes me so happy, especially when the guys approve! And I love that you use those zigzags. Thanks for trying it Megan!
Have you tried this using ground pork? I have a pound of ground pork in the fridge and am craving these flavors!
Hi Arielle! I haven’t but I think it would work great with any ground meat. Pork sounds delicious! Let me know how it goes!
This recipe was absolutely amazing! I love the tahini sauce that goes on top. I’ll definitely make it again even when I’m not following Whole 30!!
Yay! It’s some of my favorites too Kayleigh! Glad you enjoyed and thanks so much for trying it!
I love the addition of Tahini to the sauce. I need to try this, I bet it adds great flavor. Adding it to my grocery list now.
Thanks Barb! It really ties the whole meal together. Hope you try them!
Just wanted to say we made this the other night, but used ground lamb instead of beef (just cause we had it on hand, lol). Kept everything else the same and followed the recipe exactly.
It, was, perfect!
Huge hit with the family and will be making again. If anyone wants to know, definitely reccomend with either lamb or goat. 👌🏻
Oh I love that substitution! We love lamb in our house so I will have to try it with that. So glad you guys liked it and thanks for trying Allison!
The recipe looks delicious. Before I make it (for one) I’m wondering how well it would reheat.
Thank you!
Hi Sadie! Yes, it reheats well – I would just store all the components separately in the fridge (leave off the sauce on ones you aren’t going to eat too) and heat up separately. You can definitely half the recipe if needed too!
Very simple. Absolutely delicious!! And just a great flavor burst! I made this for a weekly recipe demo/challenge and highly recommended it!
Love that you made it for that! Glad you liked it Abby and thanks for trying!!
This was delicious and so easy to make! Sauces usually take SO much time to make and require clean up but this one was simple. This will be a staple in our house moving forward.
Yes, all about the easy recipe and sauces. Glad you liked it and thanks for trying Samantha!
Could you substitute spinach for the kale? I have everything else to make this! Sounds wonderful!
Hey Jan! Yep, any greens would work – spinach sounds great! I hope you enjoy!
I really enjoyed this recipe. It was delicious and very easy to put together. I’ve made it more than once and its delicious every time.
Glad to hear you liked it Erika! Thanks for trying!
This recipe has become a staple in our house and I literally could just drink the tahini sauce. I mix it up sometimes and add mushrooms or other veggies to the meat.
Haha yay!! It’s one of my favorites too – I love the combo of it all! Love that you use the sauce for different thinks as well. Thanks, Samantha!
I’ve made this 3 times and it is sooo good! My husband and I are big fans of the sauce!
So glad you both liked it so much! Thanks Jody!