Switch up taco night with this amazing Taco-Stuffed Yellow Squash recipe. The prep time and ingredient list is short, making this a great weeknight option.
If you love stuffed peppers, you will love this squash dish! Stuffed with ground beef, black beans, and salsa and topped with cheese, this recipe is bursting with great flavor. It’s delicious and so easy to customize for your family too.
Scroll down to read more about how it all comes together or click here to jump straight down to the recipe.
- Video: Making Taco Stuffed Squash
- What Is Summer Squash?
- Can I Use Zucchini Instead Of Yellow Squash?
- How To Prep The Squash Boats
- Ingredients For Taco Mixture
- Serving Taco-Stuffed Yellow Squash
- More Recipes For Taco Night
- Podcast Episode About Making Taco-Stuffed Yellow Squash
- Taco-Stuffed Summer Squash Recipe
Video: Making Taco Stuffed Squash
What Is Summer Squash?
Unlike the squash varieties that you see in fall and winter, like butternut or acorn squash, summer squash has thin skin that can be eaten. It’s easy to prepare and eat, and despite it’s name, can often be found at the grocery store outside of summer months.
There are a lot of variations of summer squash. I like to grab the yellow summer squash, but there are other kinds that fall in this veggie category too. For this recipe, I’d use the yellow squash like in the picture, or zucchini.
Try my Roasted Summer Squash and Air Fryer Zucchini Chips recipes for more great uses of these vegetables.
Can I Use Zucchini Instead Of Yellow Squash?
Yes, you can substitute zucchini instead of yellow squash for this recipe. You could even stuff bell peppers instead of making squash boats with the delicious taco mixture.
How To Prep The Squash Boats
You’ll want to halve the yellow squash lengthwise to start. Then, scoop out the inner flesh leaving about a quarter of an inch wall around the outside edge all around so that they can hold the filling without falling apart.
Chop up half the scooped out squash and save for the taco filling. You can discard the remainder or save it for another recipe (like our great veggie burger formula!).
Ingredients For Taco Mixture
To make the filling for these taco-stuffed squash, start by cooking the ground beef in a large skillet. You could also substitute ground turkey if you prefer.
To the cooked ground meat, you’ll add in taco seasoning, salt, chopped onion, and the squash we set aside. That will all cook in the skillet for a few more minutes to soften the onion. You can use a store-bought packet of seasoning or use our recipe to make homemade taco seasoning.
Then, we add in salsa (hot or mild, up to you) and black beans. Plus some crushed tortilla chips. This all gets mixed together and piled in the hallowed out squash halves.
The last ingredient is shredded cheese, such as Cheddar cheese or a Mexican blend, which gets sprinkled over the top of the squash before they go into the oven to bake. Easy!
Serving Taco-Stuffed Yellow Squash
Try serving this dish with a side of rice or more chips and salsa. You can also add diced avocado and fresh cilantro or green onion on top of the squash.
More Recipes For Taco Night
If you love getting creative for Taco Tuesday, you’re going to love these other recipes too.
Podcast Episode About Making Taco-Stuffed Yellow Squash
Listen to me explain briefly about how to make this recipe, with some great tips along the way, by clicking the play button below:
Taco-Stuffed Summer Squash Recipe
Switch up taco night with this amazing Taco-Stuffed Yellow Squash recipe. The prep time and ingredient list is short, making this a great weeknight option.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Entrée
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 3 medium-sized yellow squash
- 1 lb. lean ground beef
- 2 Tbsp. taco seasoning*
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1/2 cup salsa
- 1 (14 oz.) can black beans, drained
- 12 tortilla chips, plus more for garnish
- 3/4 cup shredded cheese**
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Halve the squashes lengthwise and the scoop out the inner flesh, leaving 1/4 inch wall all the way around. Chop half of the squash that was scooped out. Discard the remainder or save for another use.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and spread it out in the skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and cooked through, 5-7 minutes.
- Sprinkle beef with the taco seasoning and the salt, and then add the onion and the retained chopped squash. Cook until onion is softened, about 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in the salsa and black beans. Crush 12 of the tortilla chips over the mixture and then stir them in.
- Scoop the meat mixture into the hollowed out squash halves.*** Sprinkle each with 2 tablespoons of the cheese.
- Bake until squash is tender, 25-30 minutes. Garnish with more crushed tortilla chips, if desired.
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Notes
*Two tablespoons of taco seasoning is equivalent to one 1 oz. packet. You can instead make your own following the taco seasoning recipe here. Or use a mixture of chili powder, cumin, onion powder, and dry oregano to make up the 2 tablespoons.
**Use shredded Mexican-style cheese, Monterey Jack, or Cheddar.
***You may have more filling than you need, depending on the size of the squashes. You can use leftover filling as a taco filling on another day, or add it to a soup.
Thank you! This recipe is so good, my whole family enjoyed it.
You’re welcome, Carter!