#Acorn squash casserole vegan free

If you place it in the oven raw, it will not only take longer to cook, but it will release most of its water in the baking dish which will probably make your casserole very soggy. For what it’s worth, I used a 4.3qt pot and probably could have fit all 5 pounds of chopped zucchini, but it would have been difficult to stir and get it all to sweat.ĭon’t skip sweating the zucchini. In that case, start with the onions and half the zucchini, then do another batch with the other half of the zucchini which is what I had to do. When sauteing your onions and zucchini, your pot may not accommodate the sheer mass of zucchini (don’t worry, it cooks down). I used a 12 x 9 deep baking dish like this one. Use gluten-free panko or rice crumbs for a gluten-free option, or you’re welcome to just top it with a little nutritional yeast.įor this dish, it’s good to have a large nonstick spot, a strong wooden or non-metal spoon/stirring implement, and a deep large baking dish. Panko bread crumbs: While Ritz crackers are a more traditional crust for squash casserole, I’ve just used Panko bread crumbs because that’s what I have.

#Acorn squash casserole vegan free

Feel free to experiment if you’d like! To make this lower fat, you could also substitute white beans, tofu, or even just some cornstarch to make a thick sauce that’s not fat-based. Peanut butter or almond butter will technically give you a nice creamy sauce, but a much different flavor than intended. Raw cashews will work just as well though, as will tahini. Sunflower seeds: To keep things nut-free, the base of the creamy sauce in this dish is raw sunflower seeds which work just as well as cashews and they’re a third of the price.For reference, I used non-fortified nutritional yeast which is very pale yellow as opposed to the normal super yellow stuff, but either is fine. It’s not a super strong flavor, but if you really hate the stuff go ahead and omit it. Nutritional yeast: I use nutritional yeast in two ways here: to soak up some of the extra liquid and as flavoring.Onion: Not completely necessary, but adds a lot of flavor and a nice texture.Zucchini, yellow squash, or a mix of the two will work fine. Summer squash: To cook this delicious casserole, you’ll need some summer squash.Now, I guess this is a side, but my husband and I ate several portions each as a main dish because A.) it was that good and B.) we’re hungry people. Without the sauce, it would just be a bunch of veggies in a baking dish. To keep our casserole from being soggy, we’ll saute that squash on the stove top to get as much water out as possible.įinally, what makes it epic is the creamy and flavorful sauce. For that, I’d also use Ritz crackers for the crust instead of Panko, but either will work. Yellow squash is the most authentic to this classic Southern dish, if authenticity is your goal. Luckily, this recipe will work just as well with yellow squash or a mix of the two. I know, I know, technically yellow squash is typically used in this dish, but I had a TON of zucchini to use up and it’s super cheap around where I live, so zucchini it was. Maybe because I’d only ever had them steamed or soggy.īut zucchini truly shines in this vegan squash casserole recipe. Give me a winter squash any day of the week, but I just wasn’t a fan of zucchini or yellow squash. Hey Internet, I used to hate summer squash.