Ground Beef Stuffed Squash – A Quick And Delicious Southern Squash Recipe
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Making stuffed squash is a fun way to make a healthy meal quickly. It’s also easy to make. In the following article you will learn how to make stuffed squashes using ground beef.
What can I make with yellow squash? Here’s a solution to having too many southern squash growing in the garden. Ground Beef Stuffed Squash is a southern stuffed yellow squash recipe that is cheesy, beefy and delicious.
Southern Stuffed Squash Recipe
My brother-in-law grows beautiful crookneck yellow squash in his summer garden. I’m usually a bit lazy and slice it up to make Pan Roasted Summer Squash. I love it all year long, but this summer I was inspired by my cousin Rusty who shared his Dad’s Hamburger Stuffed Squash Recipe.
I know stuffed squash sounds time-consuming but I promise this is an easy recipe that can be put together in a matter of minutes.
Ground Beef Stuffed Squash consists of a beautiful ground beef stuffing made of cracker crumbs, egg, two cheeses and Worcestershire sauce. When stuffed into the humble yellow squash, it makes for a delicious summer dinner.
Southern Stuffed Yellow Squash Recipe
It took me a bit of tweaking Rusty’s basic instructions to get this hamburger stuffed squash right.
Yellow squash is a pretty bland vegetable all by itself. The trick to extra flavor is to season the sliced and hollowed yellow squash with a generous amount of salt, pepper and garlic powder before adding the hamburger stuffing.
Another punch of flavor to the original recipe is the addition of Worcestershire sauce. This ingredient gives the stuffing some depth of flavor to make it totally tasty.
What do I need to make stuffed squash?
Hamburger Stuffed Squash Ingredients
Yellow Squash (also called Summer Squash)
Ground Beef
Onion, diced
Cracker Crumbs (butter crackers like Ritz or Townhouse, Club or Saltines)
Egg, beaten
Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
Parmesan Cheese
Worcestershire Sauce
Garlic Powder
Salt and Black Pepper
Butter
How to Make Ground Beef Stuffed Squash
Step by Step Instructions
- Cut yellow squash in half lengthwise; scoop out the center with a spoon. If the seeds are big, discard, If not, dice and save the flesh for the filling.
- In a large skillet, brown ground beef with onion over medium heat. Season with salt and pepper.
- Stir together beef mixture and onions, beaten egg, crushed crackers, Mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses, Worcestershire sauce and diced yellow squash flesh in a bowl.
- Spray a large baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Place squash hollowed side up. Season each half of squash generously with salt, pepper and garlic powder.
- Mound the ground beef filling into each squash. Place a pat of butter on top of each half.
- Cover with foil.
- Bake until the squash is tender when cut with a knife. Remove foil, and cook for an additional 10-15 minutes or until browned on top.
For the full ingredient amounts and steps for making stuffed squash with hamburger, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
FAQs
- Use whichever variety of yellow or summer squash you have on hand, even zucchini.
- If you use a variety like crookneck that has a thicker, waxy coating on the outside, I recommend giving it a quick peel with a vegetable peeler. It makes it a bit more appetizing.
- Depending on the size of your yellow squash, you may use 2-6 squash total. There’s no right or wrong. For bigger squash, use less, and if they are smaller, use more.
- If the seeds inside the squash are large, toss them. If you are using a smaller squash with very small seeds, chop up the interior flesh and add it with the rest of the hamburger filling.
- Be sure to season both the ground beef and the hollowed out yellow squash generously. It makes a big difference in the final flavor.
- The final baking time will depend on the size of your squash, anywhere from 30-45 minutes. Test the doneness by seeing how easy a knife cuts the squash. Once knife tender, remove the foil and cook an additional 10-15 minutes to let the top brown.
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Recipe Variations
- Sauté diced veggies such as bell pepper, tomatoes, or garlic and add to the mixture.
- Season the ground beef with your favorite herbs and spices. Cumin and Italian seasonings are tasty.
- Substitute ground beef for ground sausage or ground turkey.
- Use cheddar cheese or any other cheese instead of Mozzarella cheese.
Yellow Squash Recipes
Cheesy Summer Squash and Zucchini Casserole
Stewed Summer Squash and Tomatoes
Kentucky Southern Squash Casserole
Bacon Cheeseburger Squash Casserole
Ground Beef Stuffed Squash – Southern Stuffed Yellow Squash
Ingredients
- 2-6 yellow squash
- Salt, Pepper, Garlic Powder
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1/2 onion, diced
- 3/4 cup cracker crumbs (Ritz, Townhouse, Club or Saltine)
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese
- Butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Use one large enough to fit all the squash halves.
- Cut yellow squash in half lengthwise. Hollow out each half with a spoon. If the seeds are large, discard them. If not, dice up the squash you removed and add it to your ground beef filling below.
- Season squash halves generously with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Arrange in sprayed baking dish.
- Brown ground beef and onion; drain excess grease if needed. Season generously with salt and pepper.
- Combine browned ground beef, cracker crumbs, egg, both cheeses, and Worcestershire sauce. Add diced up squash if you have it.
- Mound the ground beef filling into the seasoned squash halves.
- Add a small pat of butter to the top of each mounded squash.
- Cover with foil and bake for 30-45 minutes or until a knife cuts through the squash easily.
- Remove the foil, and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes or until browned.
Notes
- Use whichever variety of yellow or summer squash you have on hand, even zucchini.
- If you use a variety like crookneck that has a thicker, waxy coating on the outside, I recommend giving it a quick peel with a vegetable peeler. It makes it a bit more appetizing.
- Depending on the size of your yellow squash, you may use 2-6 squash total. There’s no right or wrong. If they are bigger, use less, and if they are smaller, use more.
- If the seeds inside the squash are large, toss them. If they are smaller squash with very small seeds, chop up the interior flesh and add it with the rest of the hamburger filling.
- Be sure to season both the ground beef and the hollowed out yellow squash generously. It makes a big difference in the final flavor.
- The final baking time will depend on the size of your squash, anywhere from 30-45 minutes. Test the doneness by seeing how easy a knife cuts the squash. Once knife tender, remove the foil and cook an additional 10-15 minutes to let the top brown.
- Try our Texas Yellow Squash Casserole!