Note: this recipe brought to you by my friends at Johnsonville® Sausage! Of course, all recipes and thoughts are my own.
Butternut squash makes for an amazing Holiday side dish, and cooking it on the grill with a spicy sausage makes an irresistible combination. The recipe for Grilled Butternut and Sausage Casserole combines Hot Italian Sausage with butternut squash, onions, sage, and maple syrup. Cooking it on the grill adds that little bit of extra flavor that will leave your normal casseroles in the smoke.
What you need for the Sausage and Butternut Casserole
I cook this recipe entirely on my grill in one pan! For this recipe, I use a 10″ enameled cast iron skillet. Three links of fresh Johnsonville Hot Italian Sausage and one pound of cubed butternut squash fit perfectly, and will feed 6-8 people as a hearty side dish. I also used onions, peppers, spinach, maple syrup, and sage. For the topping, it was parmesan, panko bread crumbs, and melted butter. This dish is simple, but the interaction of flavors is fantastic.
Fresh vs Frozen Butternut Squash
In this recipe, I used fresh, cubed, butternut squash. Now, I didn’t peel it, because that’s a pain. Luckily, the grocer has nice, fresh, cubed butternut. If you get frozen butternut cubes, that will work just fine as well, but your cooking time will be shorter. Frozen vegetables are much better quality than they used to be, but the freezing process does quicken the cooking time.
Putting the Sausage and Butternut Casserole Together
This is a really simple recipe. I used Johnsonville Hot Italian Sausage links. They come in a pack of five, but I just used three for this dish. Start by removing the casings, then brown the sausage while breaking it up (I used the side burner on my grill.) Add in onions, peppers, seasonings, squash, spinach and maple syrup, let that cook a bit, then put in your preheated grill. I covered the dish with foil after 15 minutes to help the fresh squash steam tender, then removed the cover and added the topping. That’s it- so easy!
Like this recipe? Check out my recipes for The Best Grilled Green Bean Casserole Ever! and My Favorite Beef Stew Recipe
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Grilled Butternut and Sausage Casserole
Description
This super easy, one-pan recipe makes for an amazing Holiday side dish, or even as a main dish on a cool fall or winter evening!
Ingredients
1 pounds butternut squash cubes
3 links Johnsonville Hot Italian Sausage, casings removed
1 TBS unsalted butter
½ yellow onion, diced
½ green bell pepper, diced
1 cup chopped fresh Spinach
1 TBS dried sage
¼ cup maple syrup
Salt and pepper
For the topping
¾ cup panko bread crumbs
1 TBS grated parmesan
2 TBS melted butter
Instructions
Preheat grill to 350
On a side burner in a grill-safe deep skillet, add Johnsonville Hot Italian Sausage links, casings removed. Break up and brown. After 2 minutes add in onions and bell pepper. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until sausage is browned. Dab excess oil with a paper towel. Add kale and cook for 1 minute to slightly wilt kale. Add in cubed butternut squash, maple syrup, and fold to mix. Adjust for salt and pepper.
In a small bowl, mix butter, parmesan, and panko.
Place in grill for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cover dish with foil for 15 minutes, or until squash is tender.
Sprinkle topping on, then cook for addition 10 minute until topping is browning.
Serve.
