Squashy joes
Instructions:
- 2 teaspoons vegetable oil;
- 1⁄2 cup finely chopped onion;
- 1⁄2 cup finely chopped carrot;
- 2 cups diced summer squash (peeled only if the skins are tough);
- 1 pound lean ground beef or turkey;
- 1 tablespoon ground ancho chile or mild chili powder;
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika or smoked paprika (pimentón);
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin;
- 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce;
- 1 cup water;
- 1⁄4 cup barbecue sauce or ketchup;
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce;
- 1 tablespoon packed light brown sugar;
- Kosher salt, to taste;
- 6 hot slices of Texas toast or garlic bread or 6 buns, for serving ;
- 6 slices provolone or other sandwich cheese.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and carrot and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring often, until beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in the squash and another pinch of salt and cook until crisptender, about 3 minutes more. Transfer into a medium bowl.
- Add the meat to the skillet and cook, breaking up the meat with the spoon, until no longer pink. Stir in the ancho chile, paprika, and cumin and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Stir in the tomato sauce, water, barbecue sauce, Worcestershire, brown sugar, and squash mixture. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is very thick, about 10 minutes. Season with salt.
- Spoon over the Texas toast, top with slices of cheese, and serve hot.
- What else works? You can use strands of spaghetti squash in place of the diced summer squash. Cut 1 (31⁄2- to 4-pound) spaghetti squash in half lengthwise and discard the seeds. Cook the spaghetti squash in the microwave or in the oven. To microwave: Place the halves cut-side down in a glass or ceramic baking dish. Pour 1⁄2 cup of water around the squash and cover the dish tightly with plastic wrap. Microwave on high until the squash shell is soft when pierced with a knife, about 12 minutes. Carefully remove the hot squash from the microwave and pierce the plastic wrap so that the steam can escape, then let sit until cool enough to handle. Use a fork to pull out and separate the strands of squash. To roast: Preheat the oven to 350F. Place the halves cut-side down on a rimmed baking sheet lightly coated with vegetable oil spray. Roast until you can easily pierce the shell with a knife, 45 to 60 minutes. Use a fork to pull out and separate the strands of squash.