Roasted Butternut Squash with Ground Sirloin

This roasted butternut squash recipe with ground sirloin is a delicious and easy meal that is perfect for weeknight meals or meal prep!

A Lovely Thought from Teri

I love that this recipe is delicious, filling, and incredibly easy! The perfect trifecta for nutrient-dense weeknight cooking, you’ll find yourself making this recipe over and over. At its core, this recipe is rather simple — it is roasted butternut squash rounds topped with a flavorful mixture of ground sirloin, mushrooms, and spinach. Once you get over the hurdle of prepping and cutting the butternut squash, the rest of the recipe comes together while the butternut squash rounds are roasting in the oven. I absolutely love how crispy the butternut squash gets in the oven! It is an excellent pairing for the ground sirloin.

This recipe is great for beginner cooks or anyone that is looking for low-carb recipes that will keep you feeling full. I’m really making a concerted effort to eat more protein these days and I recently made this high-protein bowl that I think would be wonderful with leftovers from this recipe! Fun fact: ground sirloin has more protein than ground beef! Simply add the roasted butternut squash rounds to a bowl, add a cup of ground sirloin, and 1/2 cup of cottage cheese, and top with marinated red onions or hot sauce. That’s 76 grams of protein right there! There’s nothing I love more than having a few recipes in your toolbox that are this easy and this good for you.

The ground sirloin mixture itself is great to have in the fridge and I highly recommend making extra because you do so many quick meals with it. You can easily make a play on Joe’s Special for breakfast or dinner by mixing it into scrambled eggs or serve it a bowl of rice for a lovely lunch. Having extra butternut squash is also great because you can keep them in the fridge and have them as a lovely snack the next day or add them to a salad to give it more body.

Ingredients

For the Squash

• butternut squash
• olive oil
• salt & pepper

For the Sirloin

• olive oil
• onion
• garlic
• brown mushrooms
• ground sirloin
• salt & pepper
• cayenne
• spinach
• coconut aminos

How To Make This Roasted Butternut Squash with Ground Sirloin

Preheat the oven to 400F. Peel and cut the butternut squash into 1-inch thick rounds.

Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Arrange the rounds in a single layer on a large parchment paper-lined baking sheet and put in the oven.

Roast the butternut squash rounds until tender soft but not mushy, for about 35-55 minutes, flipping halfway through.

While the butternut squash is roasting, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large sauce pan over medium heat. Sauté the onions for 3 minutes then add the garlic and cook for 30 more seconds, stirring.

Add the mushrooms and cook, covered, for 3 minutes. Uncover the pan and cook for 3 more minutes.

Add the ground sirloin in clumps. After 3 minutes, stir the ground sirloin to break up the clumps and continue cooking until the meat is well done and no longer pink, about 3 minutes.

Sprinkle the mixture with the salt, pepper, and cayenne and stir to combine. Add the spinach and, stirring continuously, cook for 2 minutes. Add the coconut aminos, stir to combine, and remove the pan from heat.

Remove the butternut squash from the oven and divide on four plates. Spoon some of the ground sirloin mixture over the butternut squash, garnish with Marinated Red Onions, and serve!

Tips & Variations

Prepping butternut squash is not hard!

If you’ve never prepped a butternut squash it might seem like a Herculean endeavor but it’s easier than you might think! All you need is a sharp knife, a good vegetable peeler, a cutting board and you’re ready to get started. Begin by cutting both ends of the butternut squash with a chef’s knife. Using the vegetable peeler, peel the squash away from your body. With the chef’s knife, cut the necks of the squash and, carefully, slice the necks into inch-thick rounds. Be careful and move slowly! The rest of the squash can easily be cut into butternut squash cubes and sautéed or roasted or make butternut squash soup.

Always cook to your own taste

This recipe is incredibly customizable to what you like and to what ingredients you have on hand. For instance, if you like your food a little spicer, sprinkle a little cayenne to the butternut squash rounds before baking or drizzle them with a little hot honey. You can always modify the flavors of the recipe by adding fresh or dried herbs like thyme, rosemary, or parsley. You can also easily make this dish with your favorite ground meat like beef, pork, turkey, or chicken.

If you don’t have butternut squash or they’re not quite in season, go to your farmers market or grocery store and see what is delicious and available! You can easily make a baked potato or sweet potato instead. Cut the top off the potatoes, add a little butter, and top them with the meat mixture. Try this with zucchini rounds during the summer months! You can cut zucchini into rounds or halves and grill them or cook them in a pan. Get whatever mushrooms you like best or are available to you. Don’t be afraid to experiment in the kitchen!

If you make my Roasted Butternut Squash with Ground Sirloin, be sure to review it below and let me know what you think! If you’re looking for more inspiration, subscribe to my Substack, and follow along on Pinterest,  Instagram, and TikTok to join in all the fun!

Print