Recipe: $5.04 | Per Serving: $1.01 | Yield: 5
Fall / Winter vegetables are HERE! And I'm so prepared, with my 4th or 5th butternut squash meal of the year already, including these easy Beef & Butternut Squash Bowls with Kale - so easy!
On Sunday morning, I roasted some butternut squash with potatoes and kale for our week, but then I had this other half of the squash just kind of staring me down. And I suddenly remembered these epic Beef & Butternut Whole Wheat Empanadas, which I originally made in January of 2015 to take with my on my moving-to-Japan flight. (SO MUCH NOSTALGIA FOR JAPAN.) And I decided: empanadas it is!
But Sunday was also our full-house-cleaning day. The whole shebang. It was a good 2+ hours of dusting and mopping and vacuuming and scrubbing - like we wanted our deposit back or something, but we're not moving and we're actually going to enjoy having a clean house. After all that, I was no longer in the mood for any kind of empanada-ing. So instead, same filling, different prep: BOWLS.
I mean, I get that bowls are kind of unglamorous and stuff, but there's really no need for fancy pants glamour, as long as it tastes good. The only change here is that I used a bit more squash, and added in some smoked paprika. I also think using sausage seasoning would be really great, or even upping the spice factor with more red pepper flakes. This makes somewhere between 4-6 servings, depending on if you're eating it as is or with other things.
Vegetarian: I would skip the beef and toss in some black beans instead! (Black beans & butternut are a good combo.)
Paleo: Yes! If you're not into butter, swap it out for some oil, but otherwise you should be good to go.
Beef and Butternut Squash Bowls with Kale
Ingredients
- ½ Tablespoon oil or butter
- ½ medium onion minced
- ½ pound beef
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 Tablespoon tomato paste
- ½ large butternut squash cubed (about 4ish cups cubed)
- ¾ cup water
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- pepper to taste
- 4-6 cups chopped kale
Instructions
- In a large skillet or pot, warm the oil or butter over medium-high heat. Sauté the onion until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the beef and brown through.
- Once the beef is browned, add the garlic and tomato paste and incorporate well, cooking for another 30 seconds or so.
- Add the squash, water, salt, smoked or regular paprika, red pepper flakes, and some black pepper. Stir well and cover. Cook, covered, for 10-15 minutes, or until the squash is cooked.
- Remove the lid and stir well. Then add the chopped kale to the top and cover. Cook another 3-4 minutes, or until the kale is fully wilted, but still bright green.
- Serve as is or with bread, rice, or pasta.
Nutrition
I have made this recipe countless times. It's so simple, but so delicious. I eat it on its own (no rice) and it's amazingly tasty and filling.
Thanks so much for sharing and I'm so glad to hear that!