Chipotle Beef and Butternut Squash by
Ingredients
•The top part (neck) of a medium sized butternut squash (400-500g)
•1 pound ground beef (I used 85% grassfed)
•1 medium sweet onion
•1 7-oz can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
•3oz Colby-Jack cheese, sliced thin (grated would work, too) divided use
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Slice the butternut squash about 1/8-inch thick (I used my mandoline). Set aside.
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown the ground beef with the onion.
While it’s cooking, puree the can of chipotle peppers until smooth.
Add the pureed peppers to the beef once it’s browned.
Stir it until well combined and lower the heat to a simmer.
Spray a casserole dish (mine is 11×8 I think) and put down a layer of sliced butternut.
Top the butternut with 1/3 of the chipotle beef mixture and 1 ounce of the cheese.
Top with another layer of butternut, beef and cheese.
Make one more layer, this time just the butternut and beef. Set aside the last ounce of cheese.
Cover with aluminum foil and bake for about 25 minutes.
After 25 minutes remove the aluminum foil. Test the doneness of the squash; it should be soft. There may be a lot of liquid that escaped from the butternut — simply remove as much as you can with a baster.
Top everything with the last ounce of cheese and bake for about 10 minute so the cheese melts and just starts to brown.
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