This side dish is very popular and satisfying for a vegetable dish. It’s a little bit of work, but worth the effort.
Squash Casserole
This is a very hearty side dish.
Servings 6
Ingredients
- Extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling
- ½ pound butternut squash cut into small cubes. Use enough to cover bottom of casserole.
- Salt & freshly ground pepper
- 1 yellow bell pepper thinly sliced
- 1 small onion thinly sliced
- 1 large garlic clove minced
- 1 teaspoon thyme leaves chopped
- 4 plum tomatoes peeled & sliced ¼ inch thick
- 1 zucchini sliced ¼ inch thick
- 1 yellow squash sliced ¼ inch thick
- 3 tablespoons aged cheddar or gruyere cheese grated
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Coat a 9-inch baking dish with olive oil.
- Spread the butternut squash in the dish in an even layer, drizzle or spray with oil and season with salt and pepper.
- In a bowl, combine the bell pepper, onion, garlic and thyme and season with salt and pepper. Arrange 2/3 of the bell pepper mixture over the squash and drizzle or spray with oil.
- Layer with zucchini and yellow squash. Spray or drizzle with oil; salt & pepper lightly.
- Top with tomatoes, spray or drizzle with oil and season with salt and pepper. Cover with the remaining bell pepper mixture and sprinkle with the cheese.
- Cover the casserole with foil and bake for 40 minutes. (This step can be done in the microwave with a different cover. The goal is to get the vegetables to be soft.)
- Increase the temperature to 425 degrees. Uncover the casserole and bake for about 20 minutes longer, until the vegetables are tender and cheese is brown.
- Let stand for 10 minutes. (You can pour off any liquid.) Serve warm.
Notes
You can make this the day before and cook it the day you want to serve it. I have also microwaved for the first stage until the butternut squash is soft. Then, I put it into the oven to get the cheese nice and crusty.