Baked Parmesan Squash Casserole

I couldn't let this cold season go away without sharing with you one of the most delicious squash recipes out there. I've been making this dish for a couple of years now, and it is one of the main reasons I don't mind the foggy and cold weather this time of year.

Now before I go ahead and tell you more about how to prepare this squash casserole, I just want to remind you that, in my opinion, when it comes to butternut squash, goat cheese makes everything better. Just look at our Goaty Squashed Squash, and you will see that it's a combination that we keep recreating one way or another in this household. However, if you are not a fan of goat cheese, you can simply go with the same cheesy mixture used for a classic Eggplant Parmesan. It won't be the same, but it will still be worth your while.

This being said, let's make this baked parmesan squash.

• The first thing you will need to do is to cut your squash in two.

If you only prepare dinner for two, then you will need to store half of the squash for later use. Just cover it with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge.

• Now, take the other half of the squash and remove the seeds. With this out of the way, it's now time to peel your butternut squash. I prefer using a peeler for this task, but you use whatever feels right for you.
• Place the peeled squash on a chopping board, and chop it into 1 cm thick pieces. Season with salt and pepper and let them rest.
• While this happens, you can prepare the sauce. Transfer your canned tomatoes into a saucepan and squeeze them with your hand.

You can use a fork, but it will be very messy.

• Add the olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and sugar and boil it on low heat for a couple of minutes. When ready, take it off heat.
• Grate your mozzarella and parmesan. Mix them together.
• Crumble the goat cheese, but leave this one separately. It needs a special kind of treatment.
• Prepare your oven-proofed dish, and start building your baked parmesan squash casserole.
• You will start with a thin layer of tomato sauce. Make sure that you coat all the dish's bottom with the sauce.
• The next layer is squash. So add half your squash slices and keep the other half for later.

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• Moving on, it's time for another layer of tomato sauce which you will top with the mozzarella and parmesan mixture. Add half of the crumbled goat cheese and 2-3 chopped sage leaves.
• Now, repeat the layers: one more squash layer, one tomato sauce, one cheese, and sage.
• Let me tell you one more time what the layers should look like so you will get everything right. So from the bottom up: tomato sauce, squash, tomato sauce, cheese mixture, goat cheese, sage, squash, tomato sauce, cheese mixture, goat cheese and sage.

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• Cover the dish with tin foil and bake it in the preheated oven at 200 degrees Celsius (400 F) for one hour.

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• After one hour, remove the foil, increase the heat to 220 degrees Celsius (430 F) and let it bake for another 10-15 minutes or until the cheese gets nice and golden.

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• Take the dish out of the oven and let it cool down for 10 minutes.

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• While this happens, prepare the last part - the crunchy sage.
• Take a skillet and heat up some vegetable oil. When the oil is hot, add the sage leaves one at a time. They will only need up to 10 seconds to become crunchy.

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• Serve this baked parmesan squash casserole with the crunchy sage on top.

That's it. I would love to tell you that this dish makes a great option for a next-day lunch, but we never had any leftovers. It's so delicious that you will keep eating until no piece is left in that dish.

As for the other part of squash left from making this recipe, there are tons of butternut squash recipes that are waiting to be made. Soups, stews, salads... you name it, and that half a squash will be your friend.

This being said, I hope you will give our Baked Parmesan Squash Casserole a try. Be sure to tag us on Instagram when you do, so we can see how it went.