Cheesy Butternut Bake

For this week's Meatless Monday entree, I thought this casserole sounded perfect. In my CSA basket on Saturday I got a butternut squash,a green cabbage and a few pears (along with lots of other yummy produce) which happened to be some of the ingredients in this casserole. I only had to buy a cauliflower to get it done.

This casserole is loaded with vegetables, baked in a 9 x 13 dish and serves 4. The serving size was huge and full of different textures; the squash was very tender, the cauliflower had some bite to it and the cabbage was down right crunchy. The addition of the pear slices and raisins was just a touch of sweetness that was really nice.



Cheesy Butternut Bake
Adapted from Clean Eating

Cooking Spray
1 1/2 lb. butternut squash, peeled, seeded and chopped into 1/2-inch cubes
1 head cauliflower, stalks removed and discarded
1/2 lb. carrots, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch rounds
1 lb. green cabbage, trimmed and thinly sliced
1 egg
1/4 cup 2% milk
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
1 tsp. dried sage
1/4 tsp. sea salt
4 oz. shredded park-skim mozzarella cheese
1 large red pear
1 oz. sliced raw unsalted almonds
2 oz. unsweetened raisins

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

Fill a large pot halfway with water and bring to a boil. Add squash, reduce heat to medium-high and simmer for 5 minutes. Add cauliflower and simmer for 5 more minutes. Drain and transfer mixture to a large bowl. Add carrots and cabbage and toss gently.

In a small bowl, beat egg lightly with a fork. In a medium pot, add milk and broth and place on medium-low heat for 3 minutes until simmering. Remove from heat and whisk in egg, pepper, sage and salt. Place on low heat and gradually whisk in cheese, stirring constantly until mostly melted; do not let mixture come to a simmer, so reduce heat if necessary. Remove from heat and set aside.

Thinly slice pear. Spoon squash-cabbage mixture into baking dish and top evenly with pears, gently pressing pear into vegetables so slices lie flat. Spoon cheese mixture over top and sprinkle with almonds and raisins. Transfer to oven and bake for 25 minutes or until pears are lightly browned Serve immediately.


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