Do you want the good news or the bad news first? Bad news: I totally abandoned the blog over the past few weeks. Good news: I am back from Argentina, officially all moved in to Boston, and started my new job yesterday! It is so weird to be working and living somewhere so new, but so awesome at the same time.
While I was on #funemployment, I made this awesome Ground Beef and Butternut Squash Casserole (adapted from Health-Bent). Health-Bent makes it as a lasagna, but I wanted to be a little innovative (aka too lazy to cut up the butternut squash into planks) so I just bought the precut stuff from Trader Joes and tossed it in there.
While I was on #funemployment, I made this awesome Ground Beef and Butternut Squash Casserole (adapted from Health-Bent). Health-Bent makes it as a lasagna, but I wanted to be a little innovative (aka too lazy to cut up the butternut squash into planks) so I just bought the precut stuff from Trader Joes and tossed it in there.
Ground Beef and Butternut Squash Casserole
(Adapted from Health-Bent)
Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
1 butternut squash, cut into squares
Mozzarella cheese (optional)
Sauce
8 large tomatoes
1 tbsp chopped fresh basil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp oregano
2 tsp crushed red pepper (or more if you want it spicy)
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Preparation:
1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2) Brown the ground beef in a pan with salt and pepper and set aside. You can also add some italian seasoning here if you want.
3) In a food processor, process the tomatoes.
4) Heat olive oil in pan. Add onions and sauté until golden brown.
5) Add tomatoes, garlic, basil, and spices and let the mixture simmer down. This will take approximately 20 minutes. Be patient.
6) Once the sauce cools, process it in the food processor again if it is too chunky.
7) Cover the bottom of the baking tray with the sauce and arrange the butternut squash in a even layer in the tray.
8) Add the ground beef over the butternut squash and top with more sauce. If you have enough height in your tray, you can put another layer of butternut squash and ground beef and top that with the sauce.
9) Bake in the oven for 30-45 mins.
10) If you are going to add the cheese, pull the tray out after 30 minutes, shred or slice the cheese thin, and place it on top of the casserole. Put the tray back in the oven and bake for an additional 10-15 mins.
(Adapted from Health-Bent)
Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
1 butternut squash, cut into squares
Mozzarella cheese (optional)
Sauce
8 large tomatoes
1 tbsp chopped fresh basil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp oregano
2 tsp crushed red pepper (or more if you want it spicy)
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Preparation:
1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2) Brown the ground beef in a pan with salt and pepper and set aside. You can also add some italian seasoning here if you want.
3) In a food processor, process the tomatoes.
4) Heat olive oil in pan. Add onions and sauté until golden brown.
5) Add tomatoes, garlic, basil, and spices and let the mixture simmer down. This will take approximately 20 minutes. Be patient.
6) Once the sauce cools, process it in the food processor again if it is too chunky.
7) Cover the bottom of the baking tray with the sauce and arrange the butternut squash in a even layer in the tray.
8) Add the ground beef over the butternut squash and top with more sauce. If you have enough height in your tray, you can put another layer of butternut squash and ground beef and top that with the sauce.
9) Bake in the oven for 30-45 mins.
10) If you are going to add the cheese, pull the tray out after 30 minutes, shred or slice the cheese thin, and place it on top of the casserole. Put the tray back in the oven and bake for an additional 10-15 mins.