Beef and pumpkin taco boats

You'll love our twist on a classic Mexican taco. It's low in calories and sodium and is gluten free too!

Serves: 4

Time to make: 1 hr 15 mins

Hands-on time: 20 mins

Ingredients

More weights & measures

1.25kg butternut pumpkin, halved lengthways, seeds removed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
300g lean beef mince
½ x 30g sachet gluten-free, reduced-salt Mexican taco spice blend
1 small red capsicum, roughly chopped
400g can no-added salt diced tomatoes
¼ cup shredded Mexican cheese blend
¹⁄³ cup reduced-fat Greek-style yoghurt, to serve
1 small avocado, roughly chopped, to serve
1 long green chilli, thinly sliced
¹⁄³ cup small fresh mint leaves, to serve

Instructions

Stay Awake

1 Preheat oven to 180°C. Line a baking tray with baking paper, then lightly spray with oil. Place butternut pumpkin halves, cut-side down, on tray and roast for 20 minutes. Turn cut-side up and roast for a further 20 minutes or until tender and just golden. Set aside to cool slightly.

2 Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add onion and beef and cook, stirring and breaking up lumps with a wooden spoon, for 5 minutes or until browned. Add spice blend and capsicum and cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until fragrant. Add tomatoes and ½ cup water and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 5–7 minutes or until mixture thickens.

3 Top pumpkin halves with spicy beef mixture. Alternatively, scoop out some of the pumpkin flesh to reserve for another use (see Cook’s tip). Sprinkle over cheese and roast for a further 15 minutes or until topping is golden and heated through.

4 Serve beef and pumpkin taco boats topped with yoghurt, avocado, chilli and fresh mint leaves.

HFG tip

If you prefer, scoop out the pumpkin flesh from the taco boats and reserve for another use. Turn into mash or add to risotto or a pasta bake.

Nutrition Info (per serve)

Calories 352cal

Kilojoules 1474kJ

Protein 28.8g

Total fat 13.9g

–Saturated fat 3.7g

Carbohydrates 23.3g

–Sugars 18g

Dietary fibre 9.6g

Sodium 387mg

Calcium 169mg

Iron 3.2mg

Note: This nutrition analysis is a guide only. Nutrition composition will vary depending on the exact ingredients used. See our guides on your optimal daily nutrition intake, and supermarket shopping.