Savory squash brings out the goodness of fall.

For the October Ingredient of the Month, we quickly settled on butternut squash.  It is a perfect fall vegetable and something I always want to cook this time of year.  This recipe is called a casserole.  I always have trouble with this word. I can’t help but think of Cream of Mushroom soup spread over something mushy and unrecognizable.  To help overcome my issue with this word, I looked up the definition and here is what I found:

“A casserole, from the French word for “saucepan”, is a large, deep dish used both in the oven and as a serving vessel. The word is also used for the food cooked and served in such a vessel, with the cookware itself called a casserole dish or casserole pan”.

With this information, I was able to let go of my old definition , which was bringing me down and embrace this new definition. I was now thinking easy.  Who doesn’t want the cook vessel and serving vessel to be the same. The only thing that could make this better is if it were also the eating vessel too! 

I’m glad I forged ahead because this recipe combines some of the great flavors of fall with great flavors of New England – butternut squash, apple cider, and maple syrup. How can you not love this dish?  It’s like candy!  And if you are not already thinking of Thanksgiving side dishes, here is a start. This is definitely going on the list.  Enjoy this easy, tasty dish.

Ingredients

1 small butternut squash, peeled, halved, seeded and thinly sliced
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1/3 cup apple juice
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp maple syrup

Method

Combine squash and onion in 9×13 inch pan. In a small bowl, whisk together apple juice, olive oil, and maple syrup. Pour over squash and onions. Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes. Uncover, bake for 15 more minutes or until tender.

To Peel and Cut a Butternut Squash

Click here to view a You Tube video of how to peel and cut a butternut squash