Paleo stuffed Hokkaido squash with lamb mince and mushrooms

Oven-baked Hokkaido squash stuffed with lamb mince, mushrooms, cumin and pine nuts. A paleo dinner without grains or dairy, with 37 g protein per serving.

At a glance

• Serves 2
• Prep time: 20 min
• Cooking time: 50 min
• Total time: 70 min
• Calories: 662 kcal per serving
• Protein: 37 g
• Fat: 39 g
• Carbs: 34 g

Ingredients

• 1 Hokkaido squash
• 300g lamb mince
• 200g mushrooms
• 1 onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 tbsp tomato purée
• 20g pine nuts
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 pinch of cinnamon
• ½ bunch of parsley
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 pinch of pepper

Method

You’ll need: oven · frying pan · chopping board · knife

1. Preheat the oven to 200 °C (180 °C fan). Halve the Hokkaido squash and scoop out the seeds with a spoon.
2. Scoop out some of the flesh, leaving a 2 cm wall all round, and dice it. Dice the onion and garlic and chop the mushrooms.
3. Brush the inside of the squash halves with half the olive oil, salt them and pre-bake them cut side up at 200 °C for 20 minutes.
4. Fry the lamb mince in the rest of the olive oil in a frying pan for 5 minutes until crumbly. Add the onion, garlic, mushrooms and diced squash and fry everything for another 6 to 8 minutes.
5. Stir in the tomato purée, cumin and cinnamon and season with salt and pepper. Fill the squash halves with the mixture and sprinkle the pine nuts over the top.
6. Bake the stuffed squash at 200 °C for another 25 minutes until the flesh is soft. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve half a squash per person.

Good to know

Half a Hokkaido as a plate: the skin softens in the oven and you can eat it too. The lamb and mushroom filling tastes of cumin and a hint of cinnamon.

Swaps

Lamb mince → beef mince (milder). Pine nuts → pumpkin seeds (cheaper). Mushrooms → king oyster mushrooms (firmer bite). Parsley → mint (goes well with lamb).

Cooking tips

If the squash halves wobble, cut a thin slice off the bottom so they stand. If the mince releases a lot of fat, pour it off before filling.

Storage

Keeps, covered, for 2 days in the fridge; to reheat, put it in the oven at 180 °C for 15 minutes.

Allergens

Contains pine nuts; free from gluten, milk and egg. Suitable for children; in pregnancy, cook the lamb mince right through.

Frequently asked questions

How long does stuffed Hokkaido squash keep in the fridge?

Keeps, covered, for 2 days in the fridge; to reheat, put it in the oven for 15 minutes at 180 °C.

Dairy-free recipes