Butternut Squash And Sausage Casserole With Sage
serves 4-6
Doesn't this recipe sound good? It is. If you'd like some ideas about what to eat with it, click on the "goes with..." tab to the left. For the lowdown on ingredients, techniques and tools, click on "related tips."
1 large butternut squash, cubed
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 medium onion, chopped
3 links Italian sausage, roughly chopped
1 poblano, diced
4 pieces thin white sandwich bread, cubed
3 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
4 eggs
2 cups whole milk
prep: 30 minutes
total: 1 hour 30 minutes
broiling pan
sauté pan
medium bowl
whisk
6 3/4" by 11" baking dish
aluminum foil
1. Preheat the oven to 350F.
2. First, cut the butternut squash in two at the intersection of the cylindrical neck and the round base. If the skin is too thick to peel with a vegetable peeler, try standing the neck with the flat cut-end down and slicing downward around the squash with a paring knife. (If the neck is really long, cut into two shorter pieces before doing this.) Peel the skin from the round base and then split it in two lengthwise. Using a spoon, scrape to remove the seeds and fibrous flesh. Cut the squash into bite-size cubes. Put the cubes on a broiling pan, season them lightly with salt and pepper, cover with foil and bake until tender, 20-30 minutes. Leave the oven set at 350F.
3. Meanwhile, prep the rest of the ingredients. Melt the butter in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. When the butter's foam has subsided, add the onion, sausage and poblano. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sausage is brown and the onion and poblano are soft, 8-10 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir the cubes of bread and squash into the sausage mixture.
4. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk. Grease a 6 3/4" by 11" baking dish. Pour the onion-sausage-squash mixture on top and cover with the eggs-milk mixture. Season generously with freshly ground black pepper.
5. Cover the dish with foil and bake at 350F until the mixture is bubbly, about 45 minutes. Remove the foil and bake until set, another 15 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.
2. First, cut the butternut squash in two at the intersection of the cylindrical neck and the round base. If the skin is too thick to peel with a vegetable peeler, try standing the neck with the flat cut-end down and slicing downward around the squash with a paring knife. (If the neck is really long, cut into two shorter pieces before doing this.) Peel the skin from the round base and then split it in two lengthwise. Using a spoon, scrape to remove the seeds and fibrous flesh. Cut the squash into bite-size cubes. Put the cubes on a broiling pan, season them lightly with salt and pepper, cover with foil and bake until tender, 20-30 minutes. Leave the oven set at 350F.
3. Meanwhile, prep the rest of the ingredients. Melt the butter in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. When the butter's foam has subsided, add the onion, sausage and poblano. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sausage is brown and the onion and poblano are soft, 8-10 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir the cubes of bread and squash into the sausage mixture.
4. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk. Grease a 6 3/4" by 11" baking dish. Pour the onion-sausage-squash mixture on top and cover with the eggs-milk mixture. Season generously with freshly ground black pepper.
5. Cover the dish with foil and bake at 350F until the mixture is bubbly, about 45 minutes. Remove the foil and bake until set, another 15 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.
2
