This Chickpeas with Butternut Squash Casserole combines two fantastic ingredients - hearty chickpeas and tender, sweet butternut squash - for a side dish that the whole family will love!
Prep Time10 minutesmins
Cook Time35 minutesmins
Resting time10 minutesmins
Total Time45 minutesmins
Course: Dinner, Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Servings: 6servings as a side dish, 4 as a main dish
½cupfreshly grated Parmesan cheeseor more, to spread on top of the casserole pan
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400F. Grease a large baking sheet with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add the cubed butternut squash and peeled garlic cloves to the baking dish in one layer, and drizzle with the other tablespoon of olive oil. Roast for 15-20 minutes, or until the butternut squash is fork-tender. Set aside to cool down. Do not turn off the oven yet!
In a food processor or blender, combine the milk, half and half, roasted garlic, chopped sage leaves, 1 teaspoon thyme leaves, salt, and pepper. Add half of the roasted butternut squash (about 2 cups) and pulse for a few seconds until smooth.
Add the drained chickpeas and the remaining 2 cups roasted butternut squash to a small-medium casserole dish (1.5 - 2.5 quarts). Pour the butternut squash sauce over the chickpeas/butternut squash mixture and stir gently to combine. Top generously with grated Parmesan cheese and the remaining fresh thyme leaves. Add a sprinkling of freshly ground black pepper.
Bake for 10 minutes until the casserole is heated through and the cheese starts to melt. Turn on the broiler and set the casserole under the direct heat of the broiler for 2-3 minutes, or until the Parmesan cheese turns golden brown. Keep and eye on it, since the broiler can burn food quickly.Remove the casserole from heat and cool 10 minutes before serving.
Video
Notes
A small butternut squash typically weighs around 1.5 - 2 lbs. You can use up to 2 lb butternut squash in this recipe,.
You can use any kind of milk you prefer for this recipe - 1%, 2%, or whole milk. You can use unsweetened almond milk or soy milk as well.
The amount of Parmesan cheese will depend on how large your casserole dish is and how much you like cheese. :) Just make sure that the casserole has a nice layer of shredded Parmesan cheese on top before baking.