Want to hear the most exciting thing that happened to me this weekend? Finding pre-cut organic butternut squash while doing my grocery shopping. It was so exciting, that I instagrammed it.
Is that totally pathetic? Or would you be just as excited as me?
I think I’m at this awkward age/stage in life where I have no idea what I’m “supposed” to be excited about. Butternut Squash? Partying all night? Both? Neither?
Is it wrong that these days squash makes me happier than wine?
That last question was rhetorical. Yes, it’s wrong. But if loving squash over wine is wrong, I don’t want to be right.
Um. While I contemplate my daily life choices, you should contemplate making this Spicy Ground Beef and Butternut Squash dish. It’s an easy-to-make weeknight dish that’s perfect for this season. It’s kind of like a “dry chili” or a “dry curry” – if you know what I mean. If you don’t know what I mean, then make this and you’ll understand. Promise.
I really love the flavor and heat that freshly ground black pepper adds to a dish, but if you’re not a fan of spicy food, then just halve the amount of black pepper that the recipe calls for. You can also leave out the Serrano pepper, or just remove the rib when mincing it. Or just send your Serrano peppers to me. We love them here – I always have a minimum of 5 Serrano peppers in my fridge. When I get low, it’s time to head to the store.
Once this dish it’s fully cooked, add plenty of freshly minced sage on top – to give it extra fall feel. Yes, fall feel is a thing.
If you’re not a fan of butternut squash (whaat?), you can use a different squash or even sweet potatoes instead. I actually have a sweet potato and ground beef curry on the blog if you want to go that route.
But personally, I think you should enjoy all things butternut squash while we’re in the prime of squash/pumpkin season.
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 Serrano pepper, minced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Big pinch freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 pound peeled cubes of butternut squash* (see notes)
- Small handful of fresh sage, minced
- Heat oil in a saute pan over medium heat.
- Add the onion and Serrano pepper and cook for 6-7 minutes, or until the onions begin to brown.
- Add garlic, spices and ground beef and mix well.
- Once the beef begins to brown, add the butternut squash and mix well.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover with a lid for 10 minutes, or until the butternut squash is cooked through.
- Remove the lid, add fresh sage and mix well.
- Serve.
I’ve tried a bunch of your recipes now and I am so glad to have found your site. Made this for dinner tonight and absolutely loved it. The hubby who claims to hate all forms of squash, utterly devoured it too. I didn’t have the Serrano pepper so I subbed cayenne powder in a pinch and seemed to blend with the dish beautifully. Can’t wait to try it again with the Serrano. Thanks Ashley! 😀
Thanks, Kat!! So happy to hear that you and your hubby loved the dish!!
This is amazing! I can’t have nightshades so I left out the paprika and Serrano peppers, but even then the flavor was incredible. I knew I had a busy evening, so cooked the meat and onion/garlic on the stove, then added it along with everything else to the slow cooker and cooked on high for a couple hours. We got home and the house smelled warm and inviting. This is another one of your recipes going in my recipe book. I will probably try sees potatoes next time because I always have them on hand. Thanks for making the healthy life sooo much tastier!
So happy to hear that, Beth!! Love the slow cooker tip! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out
You do realise that potatoes are nightshades?
My fiancé and I are OBSESSED with your recipes! Thank you! This was DELISH!
Emily, hooray! Happy to hear that
And I’m glad you liked this dish!
Made this tonight and it turned out really well! Do you have any recommendations of vegetables/legumes we could add to pack in a little more nutrition without messing with the flavor?
I can’t wait to try more of your recipes!
I’m sure you can add other veggies to this and it’d still turn out tasty. If it’s not as flavorful, just add more spices/salt. Glad you liked it!
I came searching for an eggplant recipe, and ended up making this. This is a simple amazing recipe packed with flavor! I don’t mind the ground beef like this at all. Wondering, will removing the peppers change the flavor a lot? I’d like to make it more child friendly.
hey Jen! I’m glad you found my website
You can definitely remove the serrano pepper – just add a pinch of cayenne or red pepper flakes to your bowl if you prefer it spicy. Hope that helps!
I just made this for a house full of people including babies. Everyone loved it, though Im not sure they loved it as much as I did. For the babies sake I left out the peppers and added some turmeric for my tummies sake. I also cooked some jasmine rice with the same spices and it was SO yummy! You are my new favorite person. Next ill try your tandoori salmon.
That’s awesome!! So happy everyone liked it so much
Can’t wait to hear what you think of my salmon recipe!
Ok so I made this for dinner tonight. The only tweaks I made were using smoked paprika and adding half a teaspoon of cayenne. (I add it literally wherever I think I can get away with it)…. This was seriously amazing. AMAZING. We also bought the pre-cut butternut squash from Costco. That’s how I even found this recipe. Hoping this becomes a staple here. Sooooo good! I need your opinion though. Do you think making it (doubling the recipe) would keep and reheat in a crockpot the next day? My work is having a potluck and I super want to make this.
Stephanie, I’m so glad you liked it!!
Yes, you can double it and keep it on your slow cooker’s warm mode. If you keep it on “low”, I would just be careful not to cook it for too long so the squash doesn’t become soft/mushy! Let me know how this turns out/what your coworkers think of the recipe!!
Thank you, we loved this! You are so generous to have shared this
Happy to hear that you loved the recipe!!
How many servings is this recipe. I’m eating Paleo so I need to adjust serving sizes as I go
Hi Colleen, I don’t list serving sizes often because I’m not very good at judging how many people recipes will feed… it’s a pound of beef and a pound of butternut squash. I think it should make four meals? Sorry this isn’t more helpful…
Squash is my favorite. My guy loves beef. We both were happy. All gone. Great combo. Thanks
Happy to hear that!!
I want to make this a day ahead and reheat it in the oven on thanksgiving morning to serve with dinner,
So my question is at what temperature and for how long do I reheat this dish in the oven to get it hot all throughout again????
Please help!!!!
I was planning to make this for dinner tonight but do not have nutmeg. Will it turn out with out the nutmeg and can I substitute fresh sage for fresh basil?
Mmmm…..So glad I found this recipe! I love butternut squash but wanted to make something other than soup and roasted. This was delicious and I will be making it again for sure. I didn’t have any serrano peppers or sage on hand so I substituted chili powder and omitted sage and it worked out deliciously.
I’m happy that you found it too! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out for you
This is one of the best dishes I have ever made. Definitely a keeper!
I’m so happy to hear that!
This was delicious and super easy to make! Will definitely make it again- thanks!
I’m so happy to hear that!
My family loves this dish! I made it tonight while my husband is away, and he was so bummed to have missed it. Even my 3-year-old daughter loves it! And it is so easy and quick! Such a wonderful recipe! Thank you!
Natalie, I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for letting me know how much y’all like it
Any thoughts on a good side dish to this? I was thinking salad and mashed cauliflower?
Those sound like great sides to me
I’m a BIG fan of easy, delicious meals, so I’m looking forward to trying this tonight. One question I have is, do you have a suggestion to get rid of the grease from the ground beef before combining it with all the other ingredients? I don’t want the butternut squash sitting in all that grease.
Tracey, I can’t wait to hear what you think of it! I use grassfed beef which is pretty lean but you can remove grease if you’d like.
Ooh, this sounds great! I’ve had a butternut squash lying around for a while – now I know what I’m doing with it! (Unfortunately I’ll have to prep it since it’s not all pre-peeled and cut like yours).
Hope you love it!
I have never made anything with butternut squash before. Are you supposed to cook the squash in anyway before you add it or does it cook with the beef?
Oh my gosh! I just reread it and I found my answer! I’m so embarrassed! Thank you!!
Made this tonight and it was delicious!! My husband asked me To keep it In the rotation.. it was that good… thank you!
Wow, that’s great to hear! Glad you guys liked it