Friday, November 23, 2012

Butternut Squash and Black Bean Casserole

Several times I have made variations of a vegan recipe I had found when I was searching for an easy oven-baked recipe for butternut squash and black beans a few  years ago.  It is so easy-no sauteeing of the onions first-everything cooks together in the oven. http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2008/10/pumpkin-and-black-bean-casserole.html

I liked tonight's version best, but with raw milk and cheddar cheese, it was not vegan, but it sure was tasty!
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Spray olive oil in casserole dish (approx 8 x 11 or so size)
2. In a large bowl, combine and set aside:

  • 1 1/2 cups black beans
  • 1/2 cup corn
  • 1 medium onion, diced (any kind, I used red)
  • 1 green bell pepper, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp ancho chili powder or other mild chili powder
  • 1/4 tsp chipotle chili powder
  •  a shake of cayenne pepper, maybe l/8 tsp
  •  1 quart canned tomatoes, chopped, liquid reserved

3. Peel and slice a medium butternut squash into 1/4 inch thick slices.  Need enough to make 2 layers in the casserole dish.

4. Combine reserved tomato juice (I had more than 1 cup) with 1/2 cup milk (used raw milk tonight) and spices:
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground dry mustard powder
  • 1/2 tsp Hungarian paprika
  • Sprinkle of cayenne pepper
  • Sprinkle of black pepper
  • 3 T cornstarch

5. Grate about 1/4 cup cheddar cheese (to lightly (not quite) cover top layer of casserole)

6. ASSEMBLE

  • Layer half the squash in casserole dish. Follow with half the bean mixture, then 1/2 quash, 1/2 beans.
  • Sprinkle cheddar cheese on top.
  • Pour tomato juice mixture to cover layers.
  • Cover with aluminum foil tightly.
  • Bake 30 minutes.
  • Remove foil and bake another 30 minutes.

This could easily be made 50% larger by adding a third layer of squash and beans.  Would need to add more liquid too.

1 comment:

  1. Original Recipe from fatfreevegan.com
    Pumpkin and Black Bean Casserole
    Slices of pumpkin with cumin-flavored black beans in a creamy vegan sauce. Delicious! It takes a bit of effort to peel and slice pumpkin, but it's worth it!
    Servings: 4 Calories: 296kcal Author: Susan Voisin
    Ingredients
    1 1/2 cups cooked black beans or one can, rinsed and drained
    1/2 cup corn fresh or frozen
    1 medium onion finely chopped
    1/2 bell pepper finely chopped
    2 cloves garlic minced
    1 teaspoon cumin
    1 teaspoon ancho chili powder or other mild chili powder
    1/8–1/2 teaspoon chipotle chile powder to taste
    15 ounces canned tomatoes drained and liquid reserved*
    1 pound pumpkin about 1/2 one small pumpkin or any winter squash (butternut, acorn, etc.)
    Sauce
    3/4 cup soymilk or other non-dairy milk
    1/2 cup nutritional yeast
    3 tablespoons cornstarch
    1/2 teaspoon salt
    1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
    1/2 teaspoon Spanish paprika
    1 tablespoon tahini optional
    Instructions
    In a large bowl, combine the black beans with the next 8 ingredients and set aside.
    Cut the pumpkin in half. Set aside one half for another use and peel the other half. Cut it into very thin slices about 1/4-inch thick and 2 inches long.
    Preheat oven to 425F. Line a 2-quart casserole dish with parchment paper (or wipe it with a tiny bit of oil, if you desire.) Lay one-third of the pumpkin slices in the bottom of the dish, and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Cover with half of the bean mixture. Repeat layers with another third of the pumpkin and the remainder of the beans. Finish with the final third of the pumpkin slices.
    In a blender, combine the reserved *tomato liquid (about 1/2 cup) with the soymilk and remaining ingredients. Blend well and pour over the pumpkin. Cover tightly, and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the cover and bake for 20-30 minutes, until sauce is thick and bubbly and pumpkin is tender.
    Notes
    *If you prefer to use fresh tomatoes, use one cup of chopped tomatoes and substitute 1/2 cup of water for tomato juice in the sauce recipe.
    Nutrition
    Serving: 1serving | Calories: 296kcal | Carbohydrates: 53g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 0mg | Sodium: 463mg | Fiber: 13g
    Recipe copyright FatFree Vegan Kitchen https://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2008/10/pumpkin-and-black-bean-casserole.html

    ReplyDelete