Sausage, Leek & Butternut Squash Bake

It’s firmly Winter here!

Yes, we may not have inches of snow but it has turned cold for California! Cold nights, make way for sunny, frosty mornings with a chill in the air!

What better way to celebrate the season change than with a hearty dinner of Sausage, Butternut Squash & Leek Bake to warm you and your loved ones!

This Sausage, Butternut Squash & Leek Bake is the perfect winter dish. It is very simple to make, healthy and wonderfully delicious!

As you know I am a girl who likes simple recipe – preferably using only one pan! This uses a couple of pans but is VERY simple!

Captain America and I were delighted with this recipe creation – we came up with the idea from a little recipe booklet attached to the jar of sun-dried tomatoes – usually I don’t give those recipe books a second glance but Captain America found a recipe that peaked his interest and I set to adapting it (obviously!) into this Sausage, Butternut Squash & Leek Bake.

We are both huge fans of squash – so any excuse to use it we are right there! The addition of sausage meat makes the dish a little more substantial, and more like a main dish. The sundried tomatoes and leeks cut the sweetness of the butternut squash to create a perfectly well-rounded meal.

It keeps well in the refrigerator too – and makes excellent leftovers in the days following!

Ingredients

8 mushrooms, diced

2 large leeks, sliced

1 C cooked rice (or quinoa, farro, bulgar, couscous etc)

2 medium sized butternut squash, peeled & diced (about 10 cups)

1 lb sausage meat

1 C sundried tomatoes

2 C Italian breadcrumbs

1 C parmesan cheese, grated

1/4 C pine nuts (optional)

1/4 C walnuts, chopped (optional)

Extra breadcrumbs and cheese

Instructions

1. Peel and dice the butternut squash, removing all seeds. Place in a pot of water and bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and drain the excess water. Allow to cool.
2. In a separate pan cook the sausage meat until it begins to brown
3. Add the leeks and mushrooms and cook until they are soft.
4. Add the cooled butternut squash to a large mixing bowl, add the cooked rice, sundried tomatoes, breadcrumbs, cheese and nuts. Pour over the sausage meat, leeks and mushrooms. Mix together all the ingredients in the bowl.
5. Transfer contents of the bowl to a 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Sprinkle some extra breadcrumbs and cheese on top.
6. Bake at 350F for 25 minutes or until golden brown.
7. Serve immediately