Filled Buttercup Squash

Recently my niece asked me if I had a recipe for “filled sapalla”. It’s a South American kind of squash which I do not have a translation for but it’s a lot like buttercup squash, so I decided to try that. Normally I would have just used my cabbage roll sauce recipe, but since I’ve made Lovella’s Mexican Stuffed Peppers, I really like that sauce too, so I kind of combined them.

Filling:
several small buttercup squash
1 lb extra lean ground beef
2 cups cooked rice
½ cup sour cream
½ onion, grated
1 tsp salt
pepper

Mix all ingredients well. I used left over rice casserole for the rice. If the buttercup squash is small, you can just cut it in half, scoop out the seeds and fill. I filled four halves and then made large meatballs with the rest of the meat. If the squash is large, just cut it into wedges and lay the pieces alongside the meatballs, in a large roaster.

Sauce:
2 Tbsp oil
½ onion, chopped
½ green pepper, chopped
1 can tomato soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can water
1 Tbsp taco seasoning
¾ cup sour cream

Cook onion and pepper until soft. Add soups, water and seasoning. Bring to boil.
Stir in sour cream, until blended. Pour over squash and meatballs.
Bake 1 1/4 - 1½ hours at 350F. This makes about 6 – 8 servings. Left over meatballs are good with mashed potatoes.