Transform leftover steak into a beautiful, delightful meal in an edible vessel! Sauteed peppers, onion, mushrooms, and garlic herb goat cheese mixed with rice or quinoa, tomatoes and steak, then stuffed into a sweet delicata squash shell, this stuffed squash is an entire well-balanced meal that would be wonderful for an intimate, small gathering for Thanksgiving or for making any day a little more special.
Serve with a light appetizer and maybe a salad on the side, then a little bit of something sweet for dessert.
You guys, I have piles and piles of squash and pumpkins at my house, way more than I need! Also, I still have peppers from my garden and tomatoes I picked green that are ripening over time. I have no room left in my freezer. I do have another spare little freezer I could fill, but I really really want to resist that temptation. I am giving that little freezer to my friend Irene, once she has time to clear up some space for it in her house. We already agreed upon it. If I fill it up with food, LOL, then I guess she’d get a freezer full of food!
Still, in the midst of this pandemic, when the numbers are spiking in our part of the country like we feared they would and no coordinated plan for combating it, so we’ve been home-bound more and more, and it feels good to have a stockpile of food readily available.
Anyway, these little delicatas are so adorable and small, plus they have an edible skin, so they are the PERFECT squash to stuff for a small, intimate Thanksgiving like we are having here. Since winter squash is sweet, I really love mixing in some savory flavors for a nice balance of sweet and salty. What better savory partner to a sweet winter squash than steak? Mix in some other deliciousness like sauteed peppers, onions, garlic, cheese, and a bit of tomato. Such a winning combination!
What is delicata?
Delicata squash (Cucurbita pepo) is also known as peanut squash, Bohemian squash, or sweet potato squash. Although delicata is considered a winter squash, delicata is actually a member of the same squash family as yellow summer squash and zucchini. Delicata squash is favored for its delicate, edible skin. Delicata tastes a lot like butternut squash, so if you love the taste of butternut squash but don’t like the hassle of peeling off the rind, delicata squash might just become your new favorite.
The other advantage of delicata squash for stuffing is that it’s nicely portioned and hollowed out in the middle. Once you remove the seeds, there’s an empty cavity all throughout the squash that’s just begging to be filled with something!
Can I use other squash?
While I really love delicata for this recipe, yes, you can use other squash. You can use butternut squash, but it’s quite a bit larger so you’ll have to adjust the cooking times accordingly .. and also, before stuffing, you’ll need to hollow out the upper portion of the squash so there’s just 1/2 inch of shell left. And then you’d need to cut the stuffed squash into serving-size portions.
Acorn squash would be another option. Acorn squash comes in smaller sizes than butternut, so half of an acorn squash could be a nice, hefty serving.
But you don’t have to limit yourself to squash: you could use this scrumptious steak and pepper filling to stuff portabella mushrooms (full size for a meal, or baby size for an appetizer), zucchini or hey, even bell peppers!
I actually did try stuffing this steak and pepper filling into some baby bella mushrooms and it was pretty dang stellar.
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Steak & Pepper Stuffed Delicata Squash
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 35 min
- Total Time: 50 min
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
- 2 delicata squash, halved lengthwise
- Red Robin Seasoning (or your favorite seasoned salt) and Trader Joe’s 21 Seasoning Salute (or your favorite
- 1/2 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled & chopped
- 3/4 – 1 cup chopped onion
- 1/2 cup chopped sweet or bell peppers (add in some hot pepper, too, if you want it a little spicy)
- 3 baby bella mushrooms, chopped
- 1/3 cup chopped tomato
- 1 cup cooked quinoa or brown rice
- 3 Tablespoons garlic herb goat cheese (or garlic herb cream cheese)
- 1/2 cup shredded Italian cheeses + more for the top
- 1 cup (or more) chopped leftover beef or venison steak
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 F. Cut the squash lengthwise and clear out the seed and pulp with a grapefruit spoon. Spray with cooking spray, sprinkle with seasonings, then set, cut side down, on a baking sheet. Bake for 20 – 25 minutes or until tender. Reduce oven temp to 350 F.
- While the squash is cooking, heat the oil in a medium frying pan over medium heat, then saute the onion and garlic over medium heat until the onion is soft and translucent. Add the peppers and mushrooms and cook until they are tender. Stir in the quinoa or rice, tomatoes, and goat cheese and cook until the cheese is melted, smashing it into the mixture to spread it out. Stir in the shredded cheese and steak.
- Scoop this mixture into the cooked squash, letting it mound up, then top with a bit more shredded cheese.
- Bake for about 10 minutes longer or until the cheese on top is melted. Serve hot and enjoy!
Notes
For this recipe, I used leftover venison steak from my Philly Cheesesteak Style French Dip recipe. You can also use leftover pot roast or, for a vegetarian version, saute some mushrooms and/or add some beans for protein in place of the meat.
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Keywords: Squash, Steak, Peppers, Onions, Gluten free, Heart healthy, Diabetic
