Recipe Revisit: Summer Squash Casserole

 

I’d like to say that I went back to this summer squash recipe in order to make it lighter, more virtuous, healthier. With a reduced cream to squash ratio, that may have been the end result, but the real reason I did what I did is that I had two large zucchini and the original recipe only called for the weight of one of them. Thus, a double-volume, but not double-calorie recipe came to be.

I published this recipe in its original form in the first few months that I was writing this blog. It needed an update, and I was just going to snap some new photos, tell you it was just fine made with all zucchini as well with a mixture of summer squashes, and move on to more zucchini recipes. 

That second squash, however, compelled me to plump up the casserole. I doubled the squash content, but I didn’t double the rest of the ingredients, with the exception of the onion. Instead, I only slightly increased the cream volume and left everything else the same.

The casserole is still delicious! In fact, I think it has a cleaner, greener taste now. The basil and onion are great flavors with the zucchini, and the cream and Parmesan are enhancers rather than dominators.

Another quantity I did increase in this recipe is the time the grated zucchini and onion spend draining. There’s a step in which the salted vegetables get a chance to release some moisture and I think this is an important step for keeping the casserole from being too watery and soggy. The greater volume of squash needed longer to properly drain than the time allowed in the original recipe, and I reflected that in the updated recipe below.

I may not have set out to create a more virtuous recipe, but I do really like this inadvertently lightened version of summer squash casserole. And at least I can say that the zucchini isn’t hidden like it is in the cake I put in the last post. Perhaps they can balance each other out in these zucchini-loaded days.

Summer Squash Casserole with Basil and Onion

2 pounds summer squash (zucchini, yellow crooked-neck, patty pan, or a mixture)
1 medium yellow onion
1 teaspoon coarse (kosher) salt
½ cup chopped fresh basil
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 cloves minced garlic
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons butter

1. Grate the squash and onion using the shredding blade of a food processor or by hand with a box grater (largest holes).

2. Toss the grated squash and onion with the salt in a colander. Allow to stand and drain in the sink for 30-60 minutes.

3. Preheat the oven to 400 F. Spin the squash mixture dry in a salad spinner, or squeeze it out with a clean towel and pat dry. You want to get as much of the moisture out of the squash as you can without completely destroying it.

4. In a large bowl, mix the drained squash mixture with the basil, Parmesan and garlic. Grease a 2 quart casserole dish and pour the squash mixture in. Pour the heavy cream evenly over the squash mixture.

5. Melt the butter and toss the breadcrumbs with the melted butter until completely moistened. Spread the breadcrumb mixture evenly over the squash mixture.

6. Bake at 400F for 25-30 minutes or until the topping is well browned, the cream has been absorbed, and the casserole is bubbling.

Makes 4-6 main dish servings, or at least 8 side dish servings.

Another recipe like this one: Spaghetti Squash Casserole with Bacon and Cheddar

One year ago: Barley Flour Scones

Kale and Wild Rice Casserole

 

This recipe and this post came together through a couple of habits: a current one and an old one. The current habit has to do with flipping around on the internet looking at, bookmarking, and “pinning” recipes. I’m not sure if this is a good habit or a bad one, since it seems to take up a lot of time that might be better used cleaning the bathroom or something.

The other habit is the one I used to have when I had more time. I used to really tightly plan my meals for the week, build my grocery list according to the recipes I’d chosen (many of them discovered using habit #1), and then spending a good deal of time making delicious meals every day. Well, my life doesn’t really allow for this kind of behavior anymore, but I miss it.

 

And so, I dug a kale and wild rice casserole out of my internet bag of tricks and modified it to my personal taste. While I mostly made this in one cooking session, I also found ways that I could break this recipe up into a few steps that could be done ahead of time. There are some suggestions along those lines in the recipe text below.

The resulting dish is hearty and satisfying. There’s a lot of wild rice here, which I love, and its nutty chewiness goes well with the slightly bitter green kale. I liked the sharp cheddar cheese, but Gruyere or a milder Swiss cheese would be good, too. There’s just enough cheesiness and creaminess from the sauce in this dish to hold all the healthy ingredients together and give them additional rich and savory flavor. There’s a big herbal hit from the thyme in there. While I only had dried thyme on hand, fresh would be even better. Increase the amount of fresh thyme leaves to a tablespoon.

As far as habits go, I think getting back to good, solid meal plans is something worth nurturing again. A new role in my day job just made my life a bit more, let’s say, “interesting.” I’m going to need a good plan, and some make-ahead strategies like the ones in this recipe and the previous one I posted, if I’m going to avoid going hungry!

Kale and Wild Rice Casserole

Based on a recipe at Half Baked Harvest

I usually cook up a big batch of wild rice when I need it for something like this. Measure out what you need for the recipe and freeze the rest. You can cook your wild rice a couple days ahead. Cover and keep in the refrigerator until needed.

4 tablespoons olive oil, divided

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

8-10 cups chopped kale

1 ½ teaspoon coarse salt, divided

¼ cup water, or as needed

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 large yellow onions, peeled and thinly sliced

2 tablespoons butter

¼ cup all-purpose flour

1 cup milk

1 cup vegetable broth

1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

4 cups cooked wild rice

2 cups grated extra sharp cheddar cheese

1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Spray a 2-3 quart casserole dish with cooking spray or grease it with butter or oil. Set aside.

2. In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook about 1 minute. Do not let the garlic brown. Add as much of the kale as you can get in the pan and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook until the kale is wilted enough to add the remaining kale (you may need to do this in a few batches.) Continue cooking the kale until it is completely wilted and tender, adding ¼ cup water or more as needed to keep the kale from getting too dry and burning in the pan.

3. Stir in the black pepper. Transfer the cooked kale to a bowl and set aside. (This can be done up to 2 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate if making ahead.)

4. In the same large skillet (cleaned) or in another one, heat the remaining olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the onions and remaining ½ teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally until the onions are soft and golden brown, about 20-30 minutes. (You can cook the onions at the same time as you are cooking the kale. You can also make the onions up to 2 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

5. To make the sauce, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in the flour to make a very thick paste. Cook the paste about 1 minute, stirring constantly. Slowly whisk in the milk. Whisk in the vegetable broth. Continue to whisk until all the flour lumps are removed.

6. Cook the sauce, stirring frequently, until it begins to boil. Boil gently, continuing to stir, for about 1 minute, or until the sauce thickens. Stir in the thyme and nutmeg. Remove from the heat. (I do not recommend making the sauce ahead of time.)

7. In a large bowl, combine the cooked wild rice, cooked kale, half of the cooked onions, and half of the cheese. Stir together and stir in the sauce.

8. Spoon the mixture into the prepared casserole dish. Distribute the remaining onions over the top of the mixture. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese. (You could cover and refrigerate the entire casserole at this point and bake it the next day. Bring it as close to room temperature as you can before baking, and increase the baking time.)

9. Bake, uncovered, at 375 F for 20-25 minutes, or until bubbly and heated through. Let stand 5-10 minutes before serving. Cover and refrigerate leftovers and reheat to serve.

Makes 6-8 main dish servings.

Other recipes like this one: Barley and Corn Casserole with Provolone, Quinoa and Spinach Casserole, Winter Squash and Rice Casserole

Layered Turkey and Bean Casserole

 

Well, it looks like I’ve been away from the computer again. It’s that darn day job thing that’s killing my creative performance. I recently changed positions at work (technically, it was a promotion – hooray!), so my schedule also changed. I used to work ridiculously early (5:45 am – 2:15 pm) but now…let’s just say coming home at 6:30 pm requires some adjustment in the dinner department.

And so I’m now trying to work out how to make ahead as much as I can, without having to dedicate weekends (and I have to work every other weekend) to stocking the freezer with nourishing but mediocre casseroles. Instead, I’m trying to see what sauces or mise en place or other things I can prepare in the morning or the night before that can be tossed with their accompanying pastas or other ingredients or side dishes, hopefully getting things down to a 45-minutes-or-less supper.

I’m also playing around with the timed baked functions of my oven. That’s what I used to bake this Southwestern-themed layered casserole. There’s a layer of browned and seasoned ground turkey with tomatoes and green chiles, plus layers corn, refried beans (I used homemade re-cooked beans), and, of course, cheese. It’s easy to put together and can be made a day or two ahead and heated up on the day you need it.

This casserole is deliciously savory with really complex flavors for its relative logistical simplicity. Even though the weather is getting warmer, I might keep this hot dish on the menu. The leftovers reheat nicely so I can get a couple meals out of it. It might just save me from eating way too many frozen pizzas in the coming months while I figure out just how late I’m willing to have my suppertime be.

Layered Turkey and Refried Bean Casserole

Adapted from Cooking Light, October 2002

1 pound ground turkey

1 cup finely chopped onion

2 teaspoons chili powder

2 teaspoons ground cumin

½ teaspoon salt

2 garlic cloves, finely minced

1 (10-ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chiles

2 cups frozen (or fresh) corn, thawed

16 ounces refried beans

1 ½ cups Colby-Jack cheese

Taco-style toppings, such as salsa, chopped tomatoes, black olives, green onions, etc.

1. Preheat oven to 375 F. In a large skillet, combine the ground turkey and onion. Cook, stirring often to crumble the turkey until the turkey is fully browned. Stir in the chili powder, cumin, salt and garlic. Cook about 1 minute more, stirring often.

2. Stir in the tomatoes and green chiles. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 5-8 minutes.

3. Spray an 8-inch square baking dish with cooking spray, or grease it with oil. Spread the turkey mixture evenly into the bottom of the dish. Top the turkey mixture with the corn in an even layer. Carefully spread the refried beans over the corn. Top the beans with the cheese.

4. Bake at 375 F for 30 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly and the casserole is heated through. Let stand for about 5 minutes before serving. Garnish each serving with your choice of toppings.

Makes about 6 servings.

Another recipe like this one: Corn and Bean Skillet Pasta

One year ago: Olive and Green Peppercorn Flatbread