Butternut Squash Casserole for Dinner

I love cooking for the seasons. This summer, I wrote a blog focusing on meals made with produce available from our local Farmer's Market. Now that Autumn is rolling around, we have a whole new list of seasonal produce available. Today I'm taking a zucchini recipe I used in my summer farmer market meal post, and giving it a little facelift to use it for my favorite squash, butternut!

Watch Me Make It

The Recipe

1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and diced into 1" chunks

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

1/4 cup finely diced onion

1 can of black beans, rinsed

1 egg

salt and pepper

2 tsp curry powder

red pepper flakes to taste (optional)

1/4 cup fresh herbs, chopped (I used parsley, thyme, and cilantro)

1/4 cup finely shredded mozzarella cheese (plus more for topping)

Panko topping:

1 cup panko (whole wheat if you can get it)

1-2 TBSP parmesan

1/2 tsp cumin

pepper to taste

1 TBSP olive oil

1. In a mixing bowl, combine squash, carrots, onion, egg, spices, herbs, and mozzarella. Stir until well blended.

2. Press mixture into a well-greased 9x9-inch baking dish, cover with foil, and bake at 350°F for about 60 minutes, or until veggies are softened. Stir halfway through. While that bakes, create the panko topping.

3. In a small bowl, combine panko, parmesan cheese, cumin, pepper, and olive oil. Stir to combine.

4. Pull the casserole out of the oven. Remove foil, stir the squash, even squishing it a little bit. Add a little more cheese if desired and the panko topping. Replace foil and bake for another 10 minutes.

5. Remove the foil and use the broiler for a few minutes to brown the panko. Watch it closely, it goes from browned to burned in seconds.

Variations - Don't have butternut squash? Use another squash. Change up the cheese. Use whatever herbs and spices sound good to you. You can also add other vegetables, such as finely chopped bell peppers, broccoli, asparagus, or mushrooms. Use a different bean, or skip the beans entirely.

Dietary Restrictions

This recipe is vegetarian as written. You could use egg and cheese substitutes to make it vegan. This dish can easily be made gluten-free by using a GF Panko.

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