Butternut Squash Casserole

By The Cozy Apron

My butternut squash casserole is warming and cozy, filled with fall colors and lots of earthy flavors. Prepared with cubed and roasted butternut squash and apples that are layered with sweet sausage, caramelized fennel and onions, plus a sprinkle of melted Gruyere cheese.

This butternut squash casserole has all the flavors of fall with apples, sweet sausage, caramelized fennel and onions, plus Gruyere cheese!

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds butternut squash, peeled and cubed into medium-size chunks
• 2 Honeycrisp apples, peeled, cored and cubed into larger chunks (to match the squash)
• Olive oil
• Salt
• Black pepper
• 2 tablespoons pure maples syrup, divided use
• ½ teaspoon ground, dried sage
• 1 ½ teaspoons Herbes de Provence
• ½ pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed and crumbled
• 2 small fennel bulbs (stalks/fronds removed), cut in half lengthwise, cored, and thinly sliced
• 1 onion, quartered and thinly sliced
• 1 cup grated Gruyere cheese
• Fresh sage leaves (fresh or fried), for garnish

Preparation:

1. Preheat your oven to 425°, and line a baking sheet with foil lightly misted with cooking spray.
2. Place you cubed butternut squash and apples into a large bowl, and drizzle in about 2 tablespoons of oil. Sprinkle over a generous couple of pinches of salt and black pepper, along with 1 tablespoon of the maple syrup, the dried sage and the Herbes de Provence; toss to coat.
3. Turn the mixture out onto your prepared baking sheet, and roast for about 35 minutes, stirring occasionally for even roasting, or until the squash is tender.
4. While the butternut squash and apples roast, place a large skillet (cast-iron is great) over medium-high heat, and add a small drizzle of olive oil; once the pan is very hot, add the crumbled sweet Italian sausage in and cook until browned and cooked through, a few minutes. Remove from the pan and keep in a bowl.
5. If additional oil is needed in the pan/skillet, add a small amount in; then, add the sliced fennel and onion into the pan and caramelize together for about 10-12 minutes, or until deeply golden and a bit jammy in texture. Remove from pan and add to the sausage.
6. Once the butternut squash and apples are tender and roasted, switch your oven setting to “broil”.
7. To prepare the casserole, carefully spoon the roasted butternut squash/apples into a large bowl, and add the sausage/fennel/onion mixture to that. Pour in the remaining 1 tablespoon maple syrup and toss to combine (add a touch more salt and pepper to create a sweet-savory flavor), then spoon into a medium size (roughly 9 by 13) baking dish.
8. If preparing fried sage leaves as a garnish, heat about ¼ cup of oil in a small sauce pan or pot, and once shimmering, add the sage leaves and fry for about 20 seconds, then remove them and drain on paper towels. Sprinkle lightly with salt and set aside.
9. To finish the casserole, top with the grated Gruyere cheese and place into the oven under the broiler for a few minutes, until the cheese is melted and golden-brown.
10. Garnish the butternut squash casserole with either the fried sage leaves or fresh ones, and serve.

Tips & Tidbits for my Butternut Squash Casserole:

• Pre-cut butternut squash, for convenience: Any time I can find some pre-packaged/pre-cut butternut squash, I opt for that. I appreciate not having to monkey around with peeling and seeding the whole squash. But if you have a whole squash on hand, feel free to use it, cutting it into medium-size chunks for the recipe.
• Sweet apples to use in this casserole: Honeycrisp apples are my favorites to eat and cook with, as they are both sweet and tart, not too hard nor too soft. Other varietals that are good are Golden Delicious, Gala, or Jonagold.
• Vegetarian butternut squash casserole: If you’d like to keep this casserole completely vegetarian, then simply omit the sweet Italian sausage, and proceed with caramelizing the fennel and onions. You could even use a vegan cheese in place of the Gruyere if you’d like to go completely vegan with this recipe, or just combine the ingredients and leave the cheese off altogether.
• Other cheeses to top the casserole with: Some other cheeses that would work well as a topper with this casserole are mozzarella, white cheddar, or Jack cheese. You could even crumble chunks of brie over top if you’re looking for extra creamy decadence.