Taco Stuffed Roasted Kabocha

This casual style Mexican-inspired roasted kabocha, stuffed with cheesy taco filling, is an insanely delicious gluten free dish loaded with so much goodness and flavour and is acceptable for a low-carb diet.

What is kabocha?

Kabocha, also known as Japanese pumpkin, is a naturally sweet squash lower in calories and carbs than other winter squash varieties. One cup of kabocha has approximately 49 calories and 8 grams of net carbs per cup.

This healthy squash is also packed with beta carotene (Vitamin A), vitamin C, and other essential minerals. Also, the winter squash has 1.8 grams of protein per one cup and is dietary fibre-rich.

This healthy squash looks like a small pumpkin with thick green skin and orange flesh. Kabocha tastes like something in between sweet potato and butternut squash, except a little sweeter.

And, you can also eat the skin once it is roasted. This is our winter squash favourite.

How to make the taco filling for roasted kabocha?

To start, the meat is browned with onions. You can use chicken or beef. Once the meat is browned add the spices and garlic. The mix of spices used in the filling are chipotle chilli powder, cumin, oregano, and our personal favourite smoked paprika.

The paprika and chipotle chilli powder add a deep earthy flavour and change a good filling to outstanding one. However, if you don’t have the two spices, use regular paprika and chilli powder.

For spiciness, some crushed red pepper flakes, and some sweeteness and fresh lime juice. Combining sweet and tart accentuates the flavour in the taco filling.

And finally, some salsa, sour cream and Mexican cheese to the mix. These three ingredients added creaminess and made everything so much tastier.

 first roast the kabocha

Before the kabocha is filled with this incredibly tasty taco filling, the squash is halved and roasted. The gluten-freee taco filling is then added to the roasted kabocha and topped with some more cheese.

Next, the squash is baked for a few more minutes, just long enough to re-heat the filling and melt the cheese.

If you like Mexican food even a little, you will love this healthier version of serving tacos.

serving roasted taco filled kabocha

To serve, I we like to add full-fat plain Greek yogurt or sour cream, salsa and fresh cilantro. You can even add avocado slices. This gluten-free taco dish is super filling, flavourful, and so simple to make. Enjoy!

If you like squash, you will enjoy the cheesy buffalo turkey acorn squash bowls or the Thai red curry with chickpeas and butternut squash.

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