One of my favs! The idea of a "stuffed squash" seems wonderful, but I have a family to feed and there's never enough time. So stuffed squash turned casserole it is!
To cut down on cooking time, I often roast the butternut squash the night before while I'm already in the kitchen putting something else together. If I know I'm going to be cutting it close to dinner time, I'll assemble it the night before and bake it when I get home.
Butternut Squash, Sausage & Goat Cheese Casserole
Servings: 4 Cooking Time: 1 hr, 30 mins (active time 25 mins)
Ingredients
· 4 tablespoons unsalted butter · One large or 2 small butternut squash, halved lengthwise and seeds removed · Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
· juice of ½ of an orange (optional) · 2 stalks celery, small diced (about 1 cup) · 1 large shallot, minced · 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning · 1/4 teaspoon dried sage · 1 pound Italian sausage · 2 cup cooked barley (cooked using package directions) · 4 ounces goat cheese · 2 tbsp of honey
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Generously spray baking sheet with cooking spray. Drizzle olive oil on butternut squash and season with salt and pepper. Put face down on baking sheet and bake until soft 45 mins-1 hour. (can be done the night before to cut down on cooking time)
3. Melt 1 tbsp of butter in the skillet over medium heat. Add the celery and shallots and saute until tender, about 3 minutes. Add the Italian seasoning, sage and 3 ounces water and cook until the herbs are tender, about 2 minutes. Stir to combine.
4. Add the sausage to the skillet and stir to combine. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sausage is golden brown and cooked through, 7 to 10 minutes. Add water as needed to deglaze the pan and prevent sticking while cooking.
5. Transfer the sausage mixture to a large bowl and toss with the barley. Stir in the goat cheese, until large clumps still remain but are evenly dispersed. Stir and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper as needed.
6. Allow squash to cool slightly before handling. Scrape squash into a food processor. Add 3 tbsp of butter, 2 tbsp of honey, salt and pepper and juice of half of an orange. Process until smooth.
7. Transfer squash to a greased 8x10 baking dish. Top squash with sausage/barley mixture. Bake 350 degrees F for 20 mins covered with tinfoil. Remove foil and bake an additional 10 mins.
