Cranberries are one of my favorite seasonal foods during the holiday months. For many of us, cranberry sauce comes to mind (and my sugar-free cranberry sauce recipe is one of my most popular ones yet!). But there are so many other wonderful ways to use cranberries. This stuffed delicata squash recipe with beef, goat cheese, rosemary, and cranberries is a perfect example. Winter squash is not traditionally considered a low carb food, since it’s rather starchy compared to other vegetables. There are definitely exceptions, like pumpkin (always a favorite in sugar-free pumpkin bread) and spaghetti squash (try it in spaghetti squash carbonara). But in general, it’s rare that you’ll see other types of winter squash in low carb recipes. Still, I’ve actually found that there are ways to incorporate moderate-carb winter squash in a low carb diet. Of these, delicata squash is the lowest carb in the bunch.

Delicata squash is a perfect vehicle for meat filling. Once you scoop out the seeds and roast it, it has a nicely generous cavity just waiting to be stuffed. This stuffed delicata squash creates an entire meal that’s ready with just once recipe. We all know I’m a huge fan of that! Another advantage of stuffed delicata squash? Roasting it takes less time compared to other types of winter squash, so the overall recipe is quicker, too. This one takes just 30 minutes from start to table, because you can make the cranberry beef filling while the squash roasts. Both parts take almost the same amount of time, and then you just assemble them. I’ll bet you can find half an hour to make this even on a busy week night!

When you’re yearning for comfort food and still want something that looks festive, try this stuffed delicata squash recipe. The red cranberries and green rosemary have a bit of a Christmas-sy feel to them, but not so much that you can’t serve this all winter long. The delicata squash satisfies a craving for something starchy without too many carbs, while the filling is smoky, tangy, and a little sweet all at the same time. I hope you’ll make it with me!

Chef’s knife – This is the perfect knife to slice the delicata squash in half. Skillet for cooking ground beef – If you need a skillet to brown up your ground beef, this cookware set includes exactly what you need. Sheet pan – This is my favorite sheet pan. It’s great for all types of recipes.

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