Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Heat the oven to 350°F. Rinse the small squash. On a stable board, cut off each stem end. Scoop out seeds and stringy pulp, leaving the orange bowl walls intact. Scrape usable orange flesh from the removed tops and dice it finely. Discard the stems and tough cap skin. Chop the onion, crush the garlic and grate and divide the Parmesan before heating the skillet.
- Place squash bowls cut-side down in a baking dish. Add filtered water to a depth of 1/2 inch. Bake for 30–45 minutes, checking from 30 minutes, until the flesh is soft enough to scoop with a spoon but the squash still holds its bowl shape. Use another dish if the bowls do not fit without wedging. Keep clear of hot water and steam when turning or lifting.
- While the squash bakes, melt the measured butter in a cast-iron or stainless skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and cook, stirring, until soft and fragrant. Reduce heat if the edges darken before the centers soften.
- Mix the diced orange squash offcuts with the ground beef, salt, black pepper, cayenne, crushed garlic and optional cinnamon. Add to the softened onion. Stir and break up the beef into small pieces, turning the mixture to cook throughout.
- Cook the beef filling through to 160°F, measured with a food thermometer, and until the diced squash is tender. Do not judge doneness by color alone. If needed, continue gently until the squash dice soften, stirring to prevent catching. Stir in half the measured Parmesan once the filling is cooked.
- Lift the cooked squash from the baking water and let excess water drain back into the dish. Set upright on a serving platter or plates. Divide the hot cooked beef filling among the bowls and top with the remaining half of the Parmesan. Serve warm, scooping the orange flesh with the filling. There is no second bake or broiled cheese crust in this method.
Notes
Full GAPS after cooked winter squash, seasonings and natural Parmesan have been introduced. Natural cheese follows established homemade yogurt, sour cream and kefir in the dairy sequence. Contains dairy; not an early Intro, No-Plant or automatically ketogenic meal. Grate plain additive-free Parmesan from a block. The chosen fat does not remove the cheese.
Four small squash give four individual bowls. Choose small bowl-size squash, not four large family-size ones. Preserve usable orange flesh from the cut tops for the skillet; discard seeds, strings and tough cap skin. Keep 1 cup total Parmesan at 1×: half in the cooked beef, half over the filled bowls. Include the crushed garlic with the beef and diced squash. Cinnamon remains optional.
Twenty minutes preparation and forty-five minutes cooking, sixty-five total, are planning estimates using the upper end of the 30–45 minute squash bake. Cook the filling during the bake. Actual spoon-soft squash and cooked filling control the endpoint. No second bake after filling.
At 2×: 8 small squash, 2 pounds beef, 4 tablespoons butter, 2 onions, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon each black pepper and cayenne, 2 garlic cloves, 2 optional pinches cinnamon and 2 cups Parmesan divided equally. Keep water 1/2 inch deep and use more dishes as needed; do not automatically double baking time or temperature.
Refrigerate leftovers promptly in shallow covered containers at 40°F or below, within 2 hours. Use within 3–4 days. Squash and filling may be stored separately. Reheat a portion in a covered oven-safe dish until the center reaches 165°F; time varies with size and starting temperature.