I first made this dish as a way to include a different vegetarian dish at a party.  It was a hit!! It will make a delicious and savory side dish for your Thanksgiving meal, and this casserole makes a filling choice for the vegetarians at your holiday celebration.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND CHEDDAR GRATIN

¼ cup panko or coarse dry bread crumbs
1 ¾ cups (7 oz.) shredded Tillamook Medium Cheddar, divided
1 Tablespoon Tillamook Butter
3 teaspoons olive oil, divided
3 cups thinly sliced onion
1 ½ teaspoons salt, divided
½ teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons minced garlic
6 cups (approx. 2 ½ pounds) butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into ½” cubes
3 Tablespoons flour
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
½ cup chicken or vegetable stock

Preparation:

Heat oven to 350. Lightly butter a 2 quart baking dish.

In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs, ¾ cup cheese and melted butter.  Set aside.

In medium frying pan heat 2 tbsp. olive oil over medium heat. Add onions, ½ tsp. salt, thyme and pepper. Cook about 15 minutes until onions are lightly browned and slightly caramelized. Stir in garlic and cook another minute, until garlic is fragrant. Spread mixture evenly in prepared baking dish. Set aside pan for later use.

In a large bowl toss squash with flour to evenly coat. Stir in remaining salt, parsley and remaining cup of cheese. Spread squash mixture evenly over onions.

Set frying pan over low heat and add chicken stock to deglaze, scraping bits from bottom of pan. Pour over squash mixture.

Cover with lightly buttered foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil, top with bread crumb and cheese mixture and bake an additional 25 minutes, until bubbly and top is lightly browned. Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Serves 6.

Photo: CanalBlog/Creative Commons

By Susan P.

A few years back my family and I decided to add a few new dishes to our typical holiday feast. This recipe was one of the new additions. Cauliflower, on its own, really isn’t anything to flip about. But this recipe for Cheesy Cauliflower was a huge hit! Enjoy!

CHEESY CAULIFLOWER

1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
2 cups heavy cream
1/2 lb Tillamook Monterrey Jack Cheese, grated
2 cups parmesan cheese, grated
6 ounces goat cheese, cut into small pieces
salt and freshly grounded pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Layer the cauliflower, heavy cream and cheeses in a medium casserole dish. Season with salt and pepper. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the cauliflower is soft and the sauce has thickened a little. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Image: Flickr/Mary Thompson (Creative Commons)

By Candace

Green bean casserole has been a fixture of my family’s Thanksgiving table for years. But when Thanksgiving is held at my house, I like to find new ways of creating traditional dishes. Here is my spin on the classic dish…

GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE

INGREDIENTS

4 cups green beans, fresh or frozen
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 1/2 cups shredded Tillamook Monterey Jack Cheese
1 1/3 cup fried onions
salt and pepper to taste

PREPARATION

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl combine green beans, cream of mushroom soup, 1 cup shredded Tillamook Monterey Jack, 1 cup fried onions and a dash of salt and pepper. Pour mixture into a baking dish that has been greased with Tillamook Butter. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the mixture is hot and bubbling. Add 1/3 cup fried onions and ½ cup shredded Tillamook Monterey Jack to the top of the dish and bake for an additional 5 minutes, until the fried onions are golden brown.

Photo: ©2008 Alex Suárez. All rights reserved.

By Mary