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 type of 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.
Spicy Ground Beef and Butternut Squash
Spicy Ground Beef and Butternut Squash
Ingredients
- 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
Instructions
- 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.
Notes
Anastasia says
I’ve made this multiple times, it’s a family favorite! Thank you for sharing it.
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Anastasia, that’s so great to hear 🙂 Thank you for sharing!
Bethany says
Did you make this with regular 80/20? I don’t see that the grease is drained. Will there be too much?
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Hi Bethany, you can use whatever ground beef you prefer – if you don’t like too much fat, feel free to use leaner ground beef. Hope that helps! Let me know if you try this 🙂
Steve says
Very tasty recipe. Now a regular meal with us. Cannot buy Serrano pepper in my UK village so use any red chilli pepper I get on click and collect. ….sometimes too hot for my wife. Also use dried sage which is fine.
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Steve, glad to hear that you like this, thanks for sharing. 🙂
Kasey says
So delicious! Have made this tons of times and the whole family enjoys 🙂 I usually leave out the nutmeg and serrano pepper so not too spicy, don’t always have fresh sage, and have subbed in other types of squash- always delicious. Thanks Ashley!
My Heart Beets says
Kasey, I’m so happy to hear that you’ve made this so many times and that your family likes it so much! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Joy says
Love this recipe! I make it once a week!
My Heart Beets says
Joy, that’s so great to hear 🙂 Thanks for letting me know how much you like this dish!
Ladyjorns says
Flavorful, caramelized bits of spicy ground beef and a sweet, starchy veggie. Really, what more do you need?
My Heart Beets says
I’m so glad you like this dish so much! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out for you 🙂
Mari H says
Made this tonight in my instant pot- the squash basically dissolved so it was more of a stew. I also added extra minced garlic along with some pomegranate molasses to give it more of a middle eastern flavor. It was amazing! Husband inhaled it. Will keep this recipe for future use.
My Heart Beets says
Your subs sound great! I’ll have to try the pomegrante molasses in this some time, thanks!
Rose Martine says
Thank you so much for wonderful recipes! What I love about your website most of all is that you post not only great recipes and descriptions but also stunning photos of food! Have a nice day!
My Heart Beets says
Rose, thank you so much for the kind words! I’m always working on my photography so that means a lot. I really appreciate it 🙂