Butternut squash quinoa casserole is full of vegetables and makes a delicious vegetarian, gluten-free, and vegan friendly casserole for the whole family.
At times I don’t have an arrangement at all for what I will cook. I use it as a chance to go through veggies and arbitrary things in my wash room, and satisfy my “preliminary and eater” name.What I certainly expected to go through was an immense container of pre-cut butternut squash. Past that, I realized I’d need to get imaginative.
By one way or another in my mind I figured it would be a smart thought to utilize butternut squash instead of pasta and soak it in spaghetti sauce. In the event that that wasn’t adequately bizarre, the solitary sauce I had in my wash room was vodka sauce. Which is quite thick and smooth.
You’d think after that I’d have adjusted my perspective on this odd examination. In any case, you’d not be right.
Proceeding with the butternut squash + vodka sauce thought, I began to cook some quinoa. Since better believe it, that would go with vodka sauce (??).I fault low glucose for my helpless dynamic abilities.
At any rate, quinoa cooking and meal dish prepared, I attempt to open the vodka sauce. I’m advising you, I attempted. I hit the top into the counter. I utilized those grippy things. Ran the cover under boiling water. It would.not.open. I feel that was the universe advising me to give.it.up.For all I know, butternut squash and vodka sauce is astounding. Yet, I’ll never know.What I DO know is that this quinoa dish tasted obviously superior to I envision my unique thought would.
I attempted to save a stage and check whether the butternut squash would cook in the meal with the quinoa, and I was unable to get that to work. In the event that anyone has tips for me on the best way to do that, if it’s not too much trouble, let me know. Possibly I required more fluid in the dish for everything to fall into place?
In any case, I suggest pre-cooking the butternut squash and afterward throwing the quinoa and vegetables together to heat. You can do that on the burner like this formula, or broiler cook like this. Whichever way should take you around 15 minutes.I went for even more a mexican-food vibe with dark beans and corn, and threw an avocado and tomato in there as well. A few group don’t prefer to add avocado prior to heating, so you can add cuts after in the event that you’d like.
Butternut squash and other vegetables mixed together with quinoa makes a delicious vegetarian, gluten-free, and vegan friendly casserole for the whole family.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 6 cups cubed butternut squash
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa + 2 cups water (3 cups cooked)
- 2 cups corn
- 1 (15 oz.) can black beans (a little more than a cup), drained and rinsed
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin (see notes)
- 1 lime, juiced
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 tomato (chopped)
- 1 avocado (diced)
- 2 cups cheddar cheese (non-dairy cheese if vegan)
- Salsa or hot sauce (optional, for serving)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Roast the butternut squash with olive oil either in the oven (400°F for 15 minutes, further instructions can be found here) or on the stovetop (medium-high heat until soft, about 10-12 minutes like in this recipe).
- Meanwhile, cook quinoa according to package instructions (Add the quinoa + water in a sauce pan, bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer until water is mostly absorbed, about 15 minutes).
- In a large casserole dish (at least 9×13), add the cooked squash and quinoa, corn and black beans. Sprinkle in cumin, lime juice, salt and pepper and mix together.
- Add tomato and avocado (you may prefer to wait until after baking to add the avocado). Top with cheese.
- Bake at 400°F for 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted.
Notes
- If you desire extra crunch with this casserole, add 1/2 – 1 cup bread crumbs or panko (gluten-free if necessary) before adding the cheese.
- *Cumin can be a stronger, earthy spice. If you don’t frequently cook with this spice or think 1 tablespoon might end up being too bold for your tastes, start by mixing in 1 teaspoon and taste the quinoa mixture before baking. You can then work your way up to 1 tablespoon if you find necessary.
- **If you find the cumin flavor is overpowering after baking, it can be helpful to add something sweet to “counteract” it a little bit. I would suggest a sprinkle of ground cinnamon.
