Go Back
Print
Buternut Squash Ground Beef Casserole

Butternut Squash Ground Beef Casserole

Course Main Course
Cuisine American, Fall
Keyword Butternut squash, cheesy casseroles, fall casseroles, fall recipes, ground beef
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings 6
Author Lora Wiley-Lennartz

Ingredients

  • 1 red onion
  • 5 sprigs of thyme plus a few for garnish, if desired.
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 1.5 lbs ground beef
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
  • 1 28-ounce can of tomatoes
  • 1 teaspoon white granulated sugar
  • 1 butternut squash - 1+1/2 lbs
  • 1 cup shredded Emmenthaler or Swiss cheese

For the seeds:

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • Salt and pepper

Instructions

  1. Peel the onion and dice it into small pieces.

  2. Wash and dry the thyme and remove the leaves from the sprigs.

  3. Heat the oil and butter in a large skillet.

  4. Add the chopped onion to the pan and stir.

  5. When the onions start to turn transparent, add the ground beef and cook until just brown for another 5 minutes.

  6. Peel the whole squash, slice off the bulbous bottom part, and use a Spiralizer to make the rest of the butternut squash into noodles.

  7. Peel the leftover bottom of the butternut squash. Scoop out the seeds and reserve. Dice the flesh into very small pieces and add to the meat and onion mixture. Cook for a few minutes.

  8. Alternately: If you are using a chopped squash version (not spiralized), skip down to the after-the-preheat directions.

  9. Add the fresh thyme leaves and season with salt and freshly ground pepper.

  10. Add the can of tomatoes and bring the mixture to a boil. Season again with salt and pepper, if desired. Stir the sugar.

  11. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

  12. Chop the butternut squash into rings and then cut the rings into halves and thirds.

  13. Peel the skin off of each piece and reserve the seeds.

  14. Place the butternut squash pieces or the spiralized squash in a casserole dish and pour the ground beef sauce into the dish.

  15. Bake for 45 minutes. After 45 minutes, sprinkle the shredded cheese evenly on top and bake for another 20 minutes.

  16. In the meantime, line a baking sheet with foil.

  17. Rinse the butternut squash seeds, removing the stringy flesh from the seeds.

  18. Pat the seeds dry with a paper towel and place them in a bowl. Add the oil and stir to coat.

  19. spread them out on the baking sheet.

  20. Season with salt and pepper and toss again.

  21. Spread the seeds out on the prepared baking sheet

  22. Place the seeds in the oven with the casserole and roast for about 10 minutes or until the seeds begin to pop. Watch them carefully, it is easy to burn them.

  23. Remove the pan from the oven, and let the seeds cook on the pan.

  24. Remove the casserole from the oven, sprinkle the roasted seeds over the top, garnish with fresh thyme sprigs, and serve.