I had one pretty big calaba squash (cousin to zucchini) in the fridge today and decided to stuff it. I browned the meat and veggies but when I tasted, it lacked something. Then I remembered I had some Sofrito made up in the freezer. That was just exactly what this needed! This is delicious and perfectly suitable for all phases of Atkins and Keto diets. Primal folks might want to enjoy this once in awhile. Paleo devotees will want to leave off the cheese.

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INGREDIENTS:

1 12-oz zucchini or calaba summer squash

8 oz. lean ground beef

1½ oz. onion, chopped

1½ oz. bell pepper (any color)

3 T. my Sofrito sauce

1 beaten large egg

Dash black pepper

1/8 tsp. sea salt

2 oz. shredded Monterrey Jack cheese

DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 350º. Cut stem and tip end off squash. Cut in half lengthwise. Scoop out the flesh leaving ¼” or less intact on the shell for support. Place the shells into a pot of boiling water and parboil for 2-3 minutes to begin the cooking process. When you bypass this step, the shells don’t get as done in the oven. Remove, discarding the water and place the squash shells onto a baking dish.

Now dice the flesh you scooped out into ½” dice. Brown the ground beef. When no longer pink, add the squash, onion and bell pepper. Add salt and pepper. Saute until vegetables are tender. Remove from heat. Beat and stir in the egg, the sofrito sauce and mix well. Spoon the filling into the two shells. Top each with 1 oz. of the cheese. Pop into 350º oven for 35 minutes. Remove from oven and top each half with 1 oz. of the cheese. Pop back into the oven for about 15 minutes to melt the cheese. Serve immediately. Place a little more sofrito in a dish for folks to add at the table if they want more of that flavor (I did). This paired nicely with a green salad.

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 2 servings, each contains:

522 calories

35 g fat

10.3 g carbs, 2.9 g fiber, 9.40 g NET CARBS

41.4 g protein

876 mg sodium