Butternut Squash Casserole

Savory butternut squash casserole is everything your holiday table has been missing! It’s full of earthy autumn flavors, from the butternut squash, kale, and sweet Italian sausage in the filling, to the buttery breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, and fresh sage in the crisp topping. Easy to make vegetarian!

🥘 What Makes This Casserole So Good

• Whether you serve it as a side dish or the main star, warm butternut squash is a perfect compliment to your autumn dinner table. It’s rich and buttery, savory and earthy, tender and crispy. Plus the colors are beautiful!
• It’s incredibly filling and nutritious. Butternut squash and kale are FULL of good-for-you nutrients. Vitamins, antioxidants, fiber – there’s so much here your body will love. The Italian sausage gives you a little extra protein, too.
• Prepping for the holiday? Chop all your produce the day before you plan to cook the casserole. I don’t recommend baking the dish in advance or toasting the breadcrumbs too early, but you can at least do the general prep the day before. For leftovers, just refrigerate them in an airtight container up to 5 days, and reheat them in the oven.

👩🏼‍🍳 Chef’s Tips

• Try to pack the casserole into as even a layer as you can. If you fill the dish unevenly, your butternut squash casserole won’t bake evenly, and the texture of the squash will be off.
• This is noted on the recipe card, but I’m repeating it here for emphasis. Halfway through the bake time, cover the casserole dish with foil so the breadcrumbs won’t burn or dry out! Be careful, too, that you don’t burn the breadcrumbs on the stovetop.
• If you tend to shy away from kale, don’t be turned off from this recipe. Sautéing the kale makes it nice and tender, and it takes away some of that bitter flavor you get from raw kale. Massaging the kale first will also help with the taste and texture, but you don’t really need to do that since you’ll be cooking it.

🦃 Be Sure to Try These Holiday Recipes

• Great Grandma’s Sausage Stuffing
• One-Pan Holiday Meal
• Gluten Free Gravy (With or Without Drippings)
• Leftover Turkey Poutine
• Cranberry Orange Relish
• Creamy Scalloped Sweet Potatoes
• Bacon Wrapped Asparagus with Garlic Aioli
• Leftover Turkey Salad with Apples and Cranberries
• Grilled Spatchcock Turkey with Gravy
• Instant Pot Turkey Breast
• Easy Prime Rib with Au Jus Recipe and Perfect Creamy Horseradish Sauce
• Smoked Turkey and White Bean Soup
• Make Ahead Green Bean Casserole
• Italian Breakfast Casserole (Whole30, Keto)

Recipe By: Cheryl Malik

5 from 2 votes

Butternut Squash Casserole

Prep 20 minutes minutes

Cook 1 hour hour 25 minutes minutes

Total 1 hour hour 45 minutes minutes

Savory and cozy, this butternut squash casserole topped with buttery parmesan breadcrumbs is exactly what your holiday table has been missing!

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8 servings

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Equipment

• Oven
• 2-quart casserole dish 11×7 or 8×8 inches
• butter or neutral cooking spray
• stovetop
• Large skillet
• Large wooden spoon
• Paper towels optional
• Aluminum Foil

Ingredients

For the Casserole

• ▢ ½ pound ground sweet Italian sausage
• ▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ▢ 4-6 ounces thinly sliced white onion 1 medium onion
• ▢ 2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
• ▢ 3 cloves garlic minced
• ▢ 2 cups chopped kale
• ▢ ¼ cup low-sodium chicken stock
• ▢ 4 cups cubed butternut squash approximately 1 ½ pounds total
• ▢ salt to taste
• ▢ freshly ground black pepper to taste

For the Breadcrumb Topping

• ▢ 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• ▢ ¾ cup panko breadcrumbs
• ▢ ⅓ cup grated fresh parmesan at room temperature
• ▢ 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
• ▢ salt to taste
• ▢ freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit. Lightly grease bottom and sides of casserole dish with butter or neutral cooking spray. Set casserole dish aside.
• Place large skillet on stovetop over medium-high heat. Add ½ pound ground sweet Italian sausage to skillet and cook, stirring occasionally to break up sausage, until meat is crumbled and just browned, approximately 8 to 10 minutes.
• Drain any liquid from skillet then return skillet to heat. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and 4-6 ounces thinly sliced white onion to skillet with crumbled sausage and stir to incorporate. Sauté mixture, stirring occasionally, until onions are softened, approximately 2 to 3 minutes.
• When onions have softened, add 2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage, 3 cloves garlic, 2 cups chopped kale, and ¼ cup low-sodium chicken stock. Stir to incorporate all ingredients, then simmer mixture, stirring occasionally, 3 to 5 minutes or until kale softens and broth reduces slightly.
• Place 4 cups cubed butternut squash in casserole dish, then pour sausage-kale mixture over butternut squash. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste, then gently stir or toss ingredients together until butternut squash is fully incorporated into sausage-kale mixture. Spread mixture out into flat, even layer covering bottom of dish completely, then set casserole dish aside.
• Wipe out skillet with paper towels, then return skillet to stovetop over medium-high heat. Add 3 tablespoons unsalted butter and let butter melt completely, swirling and tilting pan occasionally to distribute butter across entire surface.
• Once butter is completely melted and just beginning to bubble, add ¾ cup panko breadcrumbs and stir constantly until breadcrumbs are golden brown and lightly toasted.
• Remove skillet from heat and let cool slightly, then add ⅓ cup grated fresh parmesan, 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage, salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Stir gently until parmesan has melted and all ingredients are fully combined.
• Transfer breadcrumb mixture to casserole dish and spread evenly over sausage-kale filling, covering filling completely.
• Place baking dish in preheated oven. Bake casserole 20 minutes.
• After 20 minutes, carefully remove casserole dish from oven. Cover dish with aluminum foil, then return dish to oven and bake 15 to 20 minutes or until squash is tender.
• Once squash is tender, carefully remove casserole dish from oven. Uncover casserole dish and discard foil. Let casserole stand 5 minutes, then serve warm.

• Make it Vegetarian: Use your favorite meat substitute instead of sausage (or skip the “meat” entirely) and use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock.
• Make it Vegan: Use your favorite meat substitute instead of sausage (or skip the “meat” entirely), use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock, and use vegan butter and vegan parmesan.

Nutrition Info

Approximate Information for One Serving

Serving Size: 1servingCalories: 250calProtein: 8gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 36mgSodium: 352mgPotassium: 474mgTotal Carbs: 18gFiber: 3gSugar: 4gNet Carbs: 15gVitamin A: 9282IUVitamin C: 34mgCalcium: 156mgIron: 2mg

Nutrition Disclaimers

Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.

Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.

To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.

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