one-pot ground pork with butternut squash and spinach in a creamy coconut sauce

A whole butternut squash does not become dinner without work: slicing through that solid neck, digging the seeds out of the bulb, cutting it small enough to actually turn tender under a lid in one skillet. Plenty of nights you have exactly enough energy for that much and nothing left over for a recipe that dirties every pan in the kitchen. This one only needs the one.

The B vitamins in pork, thiamine included, are part of how the body converts what is eaten into energy it can use, worth naming on days when energy is already scarce. Spinach folds in magnesium and folate on top of that, and the squash itself keeps this carbohydrate gentle and easy on digestion.

Let the garlic and dried herbs bloom in the warm oil before the pork goes in; that half a minute of patience carries through the whole pan. Once it's ready, pause over the bowl for a second, the squash bright against the dark greens, before diving in.

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1.5 tbsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp dried rosemary
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 lb ground pork
• 1.5 tsp sea salt
• 1 cup butternut squash, cubed
• 5 to 6 cups spinach
• 1 cup full-fat, additive-free coconut milk
• 2 tsp tapioca starch plus 1 tbsp water

Every ingredient here is already AIP Core and seed-free. The cinnamon is a bark spice, not a seed-spice, so it stays. The tapioca starch is cassava-derived and one of the permitted Core thickeners, so no swap was needed.

Method

Warm the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sliced onion and crushed garlic and cook gently until softened and fragrant. Stir in the thyme, rosemary, oregano, and cinnamon and let the herbs warm in the oil for a few seconds to wake up their flavor.

Add the ground pork and the sea salt. Break the pork up as it browns and keep cooking until it loses all its pink. Stir in the cubed butternut squash, cover the pan, and let it cook over medium-low heat until the squash is tender enough to pierce easily with a fork.

Add the spinach in handfuls, stirring it in as it wilts down. Once the greens have collapsed into the pan, pour in the coconut milk and bring everything to a gentle simmer. In a small cup, stir the tapioca starch into the tablespoon of water until smooth, then stir that slurry into the simmering pan. Let it cook another minute or two until the sauce thickens and turns silky. Taste for salt and serve warm.

Instant Pot variation

To make this in an Instant Pot, set it to Saute and soften the onion and garlic in the oil, then bloom the herbs and cinnamon. Brown the pork with the salt, then add the squash and just enough water or broth to keep the bottom from scorching, about 1/4 cup. Seal and pressure-cook on high for a short time to soften the squash, then release the pressure, return to Saute, wilt in the spinach, stir in the coconut milk, and finish with the tapioca slurry until thickened. The exact pressure time is untested for this dish and should be flagged and confirmed.

*Adapted from healmedelicious.com*