Honeynut Squash Casserole

For some folks, fall represents a return of kids to school, cooler evenings and settling into a new routine. On the food front, fall represents the emergence of winter squashes and soon, citrus.
While many people may be familiar with the butternut squash, we especially love its cousin, the honeynut squash. Honeynut is a combination of butternut and buttercup squash. It is typically smaller than butternut but far sweeter.
While these beauties may occasionally be found in supermarkets, you can almost always find them at our wonderful California certified farmers markets.
Here in Santa Clarita, I run the Saturday Old Town Newhall and Wednesday Canyon Country Farmers Markets. We are proud to host farmers at both markets that grow honeynut squash on their certified organic farms in Santa Barbara County.
We especially love squash for their long shelf life. These can be left on a kitchen counter in a cool spot and they are ready to use when you need them.
This recipe is designed to be an easy to use one pan recipe. We like to serve it with salad, though that is optional.
This recipe calls for many fresh items including cheese, butter, ground meat, herbs and other vegetables. Our farmers markets specialize in fresh items and all of the ingredients needed for this recipe (except for half and half) can be found at our markets.

Ingredients

3 pounds Honeynut Squash peeled,
eeded and cut into ½ inch cubes.
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon finely chopped thyme leaves
1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
3 leeks – white and light green parts only, halved
lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise (about 4 cups)
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup freshly grated broncha (or parmigiano reggiano)
6 large eggs
8 ounces baguette, crusts removed and cut into
½ inch cubes
8 ounces ground beef or pork
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Salt and pepper for seasoning
2 1/2 cups half-and-half
Directions

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and butter a 9×13 inch ceramic or glass baking dish. In a large bowl, toss the honeynut squash with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil with the thyme and parsley. Season with salt and pepper. Spread the squash in a single layer on a baking/cookie sheet and roast for about 25 minutes, until tender, tossing once halfway through. Let cool.

Step 2: While the squash is roasting~ in a skillet, melt the butter in the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the leeks and season with salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until tender, about 20 minutes. Let cool.

Step 3: In a separate pan/skillet, brown ground meat and drain from drippings.

Step 4: In a large bowl, beat the eggs with the half-and-half and cheese, 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 a teaspoon of pepper. Stir in the bread and let stand for 10 minutes. Fold in the squash, ground meat, and cooled leeks. Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish and bake for 1 hour, until lightly golden on top. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving.

The Old Town Newhall Farmers Market operates every Saturday from 8:30 until 1pm in the parking lot of the Old Town Newhall library. The Canyon Country Farmers Market operates every Wednesday from 4pm until 8pm in the parking lot of the Canyon Country Community Center. Both markets are certified farmers markets and operate year round, rain or shine. The markets can be found on Facebook, Instagram or at www.newhallfarmersmarket.com and www.canyoncountryfarmersmarket.com.

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