A couple of weekends ago, I hosted my gym friends over my apartment for a Fall Fest party. One of the dishes I made was a butternut squash casserole. Due to high demand, here’s the recipe for it! With the addition of gnocchi and kale, this dish is comforting for a chilly fall day, but it still packs a nutritious punch.

Butternut Squash Casserole with gnocchi and kale

Butternut Squash Casserole with Gnocchi and Kale

Ingredients

  • 1 butternut squash, peeled, deseeded, and cut into ½ inch cubes
  • 1 large bunch of kale, leaves torn from stems and roughly chopped
  • 
2 eight-oz. packages of gnocchi
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • ½ cup of low-sodium broth
  • 1 ½ tbsp of dried sage
  • 1 tbsp dried oregano
  • ½ tbsp of crushed red pepper
  • 3 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
  • 
Salt and pepper, to taste
  • Shredded Parmesan cheese, to taste

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Heat a tbsp of the oil in an oven safe skillet over medium heat. Add the gnocchi, and toss a few times for 5 minutes or until the outside starts to brown, then transfer to a bowl and set aside. In the same pan, add more oil and the minced garlic. Cook the garlic, while stirring, for about 1 minute. Then add the squash, salt and pepper, crushed red pepper, oregano, and sage. Cook, stirring occasionally for 10-15 minutes or until the squash starts to soften. Add the broth and the kale. Cook while stirring occasionally until the kale wilts and the majority of the liquid has dissolved. Add the gnocchi back in and mix until combined. Top with a little cheese, and bake in the oven for 15 minutes or until golden and bubbly. If you do not have an oven safe skillet, transfer to an 8×8 sprayed baking dish before topping with cheese. It can bake in the dish for the same amount of time.

Butternut Squash Casserole with Gnocchi and Kale

Happy eating!