This recipe is one of my favorite ways to pair ground beef and butternut squash together. Lean ground beef is browned then cooked in a Worcestershire and balsamic vinegar sauce while butternut squash is oven roasted or air fried alongside shaved brussels sprouts.
Everything is served with pickled beets and onions, goat cheese and a drizzle of honey, chile flakes, and forbidden rice if you have the carbs to spare. Who says ground beef meals have to be boring?
Time Saving Tip
You know I’m a fan of shortcuts if you’re familiar with my recipes. In this recipe, I used a couple bags of pre-diced butternut squash and a bag of shaved brussels sprouts from H-E-B. If you’re in Texas, congratulations, and all hail H-E-B.
While you can find frozen butternut squash in plenty of stores these days, you may have trouble roasting it frozen alongside another veggie like brussels sprouts. Let me know in the comments if you experiment with this recipe and frozen veggies.
Using Fresh Butternut Squash
If you have trouble finding diced butternut squash in stores or want to make it fresh, it’s simple enough. I borrowed some photos from my air fried butternut squash to include a visual tutorial below the next paragraph.
To make diced butternut squash, I like to peel the exterior with a vegetable peeler or knife. Then, I carefully slice the squash in half and use a spoon to scoop out any seeds. It’s as simple as placing the squash cut-side-down and dicing it into your desired size beyond that.
Additional Ingredient Notes
But what about the shaved brussels sprouts? If you don’t have access to shaved sprouts, you can always run some through a box grater. But I think it’s probably easier to just quarter some sprouts to match the size of the butternut squash and roast that way.
I used halved sprouts with sweet potatoes for my fall veggie beef bowls in case you need an example. And while we’re on the topic, sweet potatoes would be a solid substitute for butternut squash if you prefer.
If you love winter squash like I do and want a few more ideas for things to make with butternut squash, check out my BBQ chicken squash nachos, air fryer roasted squash soup, or air fried squash and sprouts with bacon next.
Pairings and Building Ground Beef Bowls
You will see the ground beef and butternut squash paired with black rice or forbidden rice, pickled onions and beets, and goat cheese. There’s also a drizzle of honey and a pinch or two of chile flakes on top of everything.
If you’re unfamiliar with forbidden rice, you should definitely check it out. It’s a bit nuttier and chewier than white rice, and there are some additional nutrients as well.
A great way to bulk these bowls up even more would be to add some greens like arugula or chopped kale. You could even lightly dress them with a vinaigrette to make things pop even more.
I’d love to hear your thoughts about this recipe. Let me know in a recipe review or comment below. You can leave any questions about ingredients, cooking process, or modifications there as well. Happy cooking!
Ground Beef and Butternut Squash Bowls
Lean ground beef with roasted butternut squash and brussels sprouts, forbidden rice, goat cheese, and pickled vegetables.
Ingredients
For the Ground Beef
- 1 pound Lean Ground Beef (93/7)
- 1 teaspoon Olive Oil
- 1 teaspoon Dried Oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Onion Powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper
- 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 Tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar
- 1/2 cup Water
For the Butternut Squash
- 20 oz Butternut Squash, diced
- 10 oz Shaved Brussels Sprouts (or quartered brussels sprouts)
- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Black Pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon Ground Coriander
- 1/4 teaspoon Ground Allspice
Pairings (optional)
- Goat Cheese
- Forbidden Rice
- Pickled Beets
- Pickled Onions
- Honey
- Chile Flakes
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400ºF and line a half sheet pan with parchment paper.
- Toss the butternut squash and shaved brussels sprouts together with the olive oil, salt, pepper, coriander, and allspice. Add to the sheet pan and bake for 30 minutes or until the squash is fork tender and both veggies begin to pick up a little color.
- While the vegetables roast in the oven, heat a skillet over medium-high heat with 1 teaspoon of olive oil.
- Once hot, add the ground beef and cook for 3-4 minutes untouched to brown one side. Once a crust begins to form on one side, break the beef apart to fully cook.
- Once the beef is fully cooked, add the herbs, spices, Worcestershire sauce, balsamic vinegar, and water to the skillet.
- Cook for 3-4 minutes until the sauce evenly coats the beef. Salt and pepper to taste before serving.
- Serve the beef and roasted vegetables with your choice of pairings from the list above.
Notes
The nutrition facts below are for the ground beef and roasted butternut squash and brussels sprouts.
A bowl with one serving of the butternut squash and ground beef with 1/2 cup of forbidden rice, 1/2 oz of goat cheese, 1-2 tablespoons each of pickled onions and beets, and a drizzle of honey has roughly 470 calories, 33g protein, 42g carbs, 6g fiber, and 21g fat.
You can reduce the calorie and fat content by using 96/4 ground beef or another leaner protein like ground chicken breast.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1/4th of both the beef and roasted vegetablesAmount Per Serving: Calories: 295Total Fat: 16gCarbohydrates: 15gFiber: 3gProtein: 26g
Skip to Recipe