Recipe for a Vegetarian Southwest Squash Casserole

December 21, 2015 by 5 Comments

While I was in Santa Fe, I saw several times the options for a Southwest Squash Casserole. Instead of the usual burritos or other Mexican food with the generous ladling of red or green (or both, “Christmas style” – get it, using both red and green?) chiles, the Southwest Squash Casserole option sounded less heavy but still celebratory of the namesake southwest chiles. I didn’t have any while I was in Santa Fe, but I was inspired to make one myself.
Recipe for a Vegetarian Southwest Squash Casserole that uses yellow squash, butternut squash, and green chiles and red salsa

This recipe for a Vegetarian Southwest Squash Casserole uses both red salsa and green chiles, as this was my favorite way to enjoy the chiles in Santa Fe (though they used red chiles and green chiles – I dialed down the heat by using a salsa instead). Also, maybe I could never really know which would be the best at any restaurant – the green or the red – so why decide? Why not both?
Recipe for a Vegetarian Southwest Squash Casserole that uses yellow squash, butternut squash, and green chiles and red salsa

In Santa Fe sometimes the green chile came with chunks of shredded chicken in it, but if you get the ones in the can you normally see in the store it will just be the chiles – it’s up to you if you want to add in some shredded cooked chicken to this dish.

Ingredients:

  • 8 cups of squash – I used a mix of yellow squash that I chopped into half moons (they should be at least 1/2 inch thick so they don’t get too mushy) and cubed butternut squash
    A mix of yellow squash and butternut squash for this Vegetarian Recipe for Southwest Squash Casserole
  • 2/3 cup chopped onion
  • 1 4 ounce can of chopped green chiles
    A 4 ounce can of green chiles for the green and salsa adds the red for this Recipe for a Vegetarian Southwest Squash Casserole
  • 2 cups grated cheese, divided – I used a blend of cheddar and jack cheeses
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 3/4 cup salsa – if it’s not spicy you may want a little more if it’s a chunky salsa you are using, if it’s spicy you might dial it back a little to not overwhelm the dish with too much heat
  • 2 green onions, chopped

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat a 11-by-7-inch 2 quart casserole baking dish with cooking spray.
  2. I had to do this in two large mixing bowls because I didn’t have a bowl large enough, but you will want to combine your 8 cups of squash, 2/3 cup chopped onion, the 4 ounces of chopped green chiles, half of your grated cheese (so just 1 cup cheese), and the 1/4 cup flour together and mix. Since I used two mixing bowls, I just put half of everything in each bowl to do the mixing – you will want to flour, onion, and green chiles and cheese to coat all your squash lightly. Then combine the mixture together into your sprayed baking dish. Cover with foil.
    Toss together your squash, cheese, green chlies, chopped onions, and flour for the first step of the Recipe for a Vegetarian Southwest Squash Casserole Toss together your squash, cheese, green chlies, chopped onions, and flour for the first step of the Recipe for a Vegetarian Southwest Squash Casserole Toss together your squash, cheese, green chlies, chopped onions, and flour for the first step of the Recipe for a Vegetarian Southwest Squash Casserole
  3. Bake the casserole until the squash is tender, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven and distribute your salsa over the top, as well as sprinkling over the salsa your last 1 cup of grated cheese.
    Top with salsa for the red in this Recipe for a Vegetarian Southwest Squash Casserole Top with salsa for the red in this Recipe for a Vegetarian Southwest Squash Casserole
  4. Return to the oven uncovered to bake for another 15 minutes or so until the cheese is bubbling. Remove from oven and sprinkle with green onions.
    Recipe for a Vegetarian Southwest Squash Casserole that uses yellow squash, butternut squash, and green chiles and red salsa Recipe for a Vegetarian Southwest Squash Casserole that uses yellow squash, butternut squash, and green chiles and red salsa

Have you ever heard of a Southwest Squash casserole? Did it have this “Christmas” version of red and green chiles, or how was it?

This is my last post until after the holidays: in fact, I actually left for Japan several days before this post went up! So I wanted to take this opportunity to wish you a wonderful warm holiday until 2016, full of new memories and of course lots of deliciousness.

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Vegetarian Side Dishes: Corn Niblets in Butter, Roasted Carrots with Dill, Green Beans in Parmesan

December 3, 2013 by 6 Comments

I made all three of these vegetarian side dishes this past Thanksgiving, for the sake of nostalgia.

Growing up, the corn I had were either on the cob (which we boiled/steamed) or Green Giant Corn Niblets frozen boxes. Essentially, it’s just corn niblets in butter, but the butter sauce is slightly thickened. When I grew up, I learned about grilling corn, and I gave up the processed Green Giant that uses the additive of xanthan gum because it just seemed unnecessary with the cornstarch- and what is enzyme modified butter and why do I need annatto extract color?

Corn Niblets in butter recipe

Sometimes though, I still want to remember the days when my family attempted an American style Thanksgiving, albeit that by high school it was Boston Market that was providing us our meal, after a lineage of various grocery stores’ precooked items (my favorite that I remember was Auchon, though I have never quite forgotten the soft rolls from Cub Foods). My family was not really a turkey family- we were all about honey ham. I vaguely remember one time my mom bought sliced ham, and we were roasting each slice in the oven on a baking sheet, and we brushed each side with some sort of honey mixture. We only did that once (apparently we discovered we could just buy partial pre-sliced hams- thanks HoneyBaked Hams), but I loved the motion of brushing each piece lovingly.

Instead of the Green Giant original, I now use this Food.com Green Giant Corn Niblts in Butter copycat recipe every time, and can pick local sweet corn and I can make more since I can eat a whole box of the frozen stuff by myself thanks.

Meanwhile, my main experience with carrots were in TV dinners in my childhood, thanks to Banquet. My family had almost all Asian food, with the once in a while exception of spaghetti, everything else was usually prepared (varying from Gordon’s fish sticks to Micromagic cheeseburgers) so it was thanks to Banquet that I learned about meat loaf, chicken parmigiana, Salisbury steak, and pot pies.

Roasted Carrots with Dill recipe

This recipe for roasted carrots brings back memories of those little super tender carrots in their little compartments with the little ridges, and the little inch long green beans cut in perfect tubes almost like pasta, but without the chance for mushiness for either (depending on how much you vented the TV tray!). I know it may not sound like an endorsement to say it brings back those nostalgia food of the 80s via TV Tray, but it is!! The recipe for the Sauteed Carrots are based from one from the Barefoot Contessa and the green beans from Sandra Lee’s Haricot Verts with Shaved Parmesan. Can you tell I was watching Food Network for a while?

All of these recipes yields enough for about 6 servings as a side dish.

Corn Niblets in Butter

Corn Niblets in Butter recipeCorn Niblets in Butter recipe
Ingredients:

  • 16 ounces of corn niblets (this equals about 1 bag of frozen corn, I like sweet corn but you can use any type you wish)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup butter, cut up
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 3/4 teaspoon cornstarch
  • 1/2 teaspoon rosemary (optional)

Directions:

  1. Add corn to large sauce pan along with all ingredients except water and cornstarch.
  2. Stir corn mixture over medium heat until butter is melted.
  3. Combine water and cornstarch and stir until cornstarch is dissolved. Slowly add water to corn in sauce pan, stirring constantly.
  4. Reduce heat to simmer and stir occasionally, until corn is tender and sauce thickens. If you’d like, you can optionally add in a little ot of rosemary or other seasoning you’d like to additionally flavor the butter sauce.

Roasted Carrots with Dill

Roasted Carrots with Dill recipe
Ingredients:

  • 2 pounds (6 cups) of carrots
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt + more to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper+ more to taste
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill + more to taste

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
  2. If you bought the whole carrots, peel the carrots and cut them diagonally in 1/4-inch slices. Or if you’re into a Thanksgiving where you are drinking wine and eating cheese instead of cutting carrots, buy baby carrots or my favorite, already crinkle cut carrots.
  3. Toss the carrots in a bowl with the olive oil, black pepper, and salt. On two foil covered baking sheets, place the carrots flat, try not to have them overlap too much so they can be touching the baking sheet, lying flat on 1 layer. Roast in the oven for 20 minutes, turning them halfway through- you should be able to fit more flat because the carrots will shrink as they cook and brown. I admit I roasted mine for much longer because I was making mac and cheese and forgot what time I put them in, I just kept checking on them until they were as browned as I liked.
  4. Off the heat, toss with the dill. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve to taste.

Green Beans with Shaved Parmesan

Green Beans with Shaved Parmesan Green Beans with Shaved Parmesan
Ingredients:

  • 3/4 pound ready-to-cook haricots verts/green beans
  • 2 tablespoons sour cream
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup shaved parmesan cheese
  • Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

  1. Place the haricots verts in a large microwave-safe bowl. Cover and microwave on high for 5 to 7 minutes. Remove and drain, if necessary.
  2. In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream and lemon juice. Pour over the haricots verts and toss to coat. Serve immediately with shaved parmesan and freshly ground pepper. I totally admit I used much more than 1/4 cup of parmesan.

Do you have simple side dishes like this that you make, thinking back to microwavable food memories?

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