I realized today that I never posted about this rockin' butternut squash "casserole" I made a couple weeks ago. As I sat down to write this post, I was informed that RWT was chosen by the AJC as one of the best blogs in Atlanta! I'm totally flattered - it was a shocking piece of happy news on a not-so-easy day for me. Hi to everyone that's visiting for the first time!
Filling a loft that has 28 foot ceilings with wafting smells of any sort is no small feat. This casserole, which I initially found in a copy of a Gourmet cookbook that used to belong to my mom, is one of the most yummy smelling things I think I've ever cooked. The sharp but sweet red peppers, the twang from the rosemary, the warm garlic smell. My neighbor could smell it outside and came by to say that whatever it was I was cooking smelled DIVINE.
Don't expect oozy-gooey cheese with this "casserole" - it's more of a gratin with cube shaped ingredients. Whatever it is, it's a great accompaniment to roasted meats of all sort - pork anything would be heavenly. Also, please do a better job of evenly distributing your Parmesan than I did. Sheesh.
Butternut Squash and Red Pepper Casserole - recipe originally found here - serves 6 as a side dish
- 3 1/2 pounds butternut squash
- 1 large red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 large garlic cloves, minced
- 3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
- 1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary leaves
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan (about 2 ounces)
- With a sharp knife cut squash crosswise into 2-inch-thick slices. Working with 1 slice at a time, cut side down, cut away peel and seeds and cut squash into 1-inch cubes (about 9 cups).
- In a large bowl stir together squash, bell pepper, oil, garlic, herbs, black pepper, and salt to taste. Transfer mixture to a 2- to 2 1/2-quart gratin dish or other shallow baking dish and sprinkle evenly with Parmesan.
- Bake casserole in middle of oven until squash is tender and top is golden, about 1 hour.
