This Cheesy Butternut Squash Tomato Casserole is the best way to enjoy your veggies in a delicious creamy, Italian-inspired casserole. We mix fresh pasta, tangy Lifeway Kefir, creamy butternut squash, and crisp Roma tomatoes with a perfectly gooey cheese medley made from a blend of Parmesan and Lifeway Farmer Cheese.
Cooking with Lifeway gives this dish a pleasant, smooth flavor and helps make a casserole that simply cannot be beaten. It also provides you with plenty of nutrition thanks to the vitamin A in butternut squash, along with fiber. Tomatoes provide an ample dose of the antioxidant lycopene for the immune system and skin support, and more. Get the recipe below and make this comforting warm dish this week!
The Benefits of Cultured Dairy for Better Health:
Research continues to show the importance of eating healthy foods, including cultured dairy such as kefir, for better gut health, a strong immune system, and to support the microbiome. Fermented foods like kefir hold important value in this line of research due to the link between the gut-brain axis and overall health. Specifically, kefir has been shown to help diversify the microbiome, improve digestion, reduce inflammation, and even help support healthier blood sugar levels and improve levels of satiety due to how it triggers the release of GLP-1 since it is an excellent source of protein and high in bioavailable nutrition.
Lifeway Kefir contains a variety of nutrients that are vital for healthy bones and overall health: vitamin D3, K, calcium, and vitamin B12. Lifeway also offers our artisan-made Farmer Cheese, a creamy cultured cheese made with live and active cultures to support a healthy microbiome that is also an excellent source of complete protein.
Ingredients
- 1 cup, divided Farmer Cheese
- 3 cups of fresh (or frozen) butternut squash (about 1 large or 2 small squashes)
- 1 regular size box of fusilli or rotini pasta
- 1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 15 oz. can of tomato sauce (no salt added)
- 4 fresh Roma tomatoes, diced
- 1/2 cup half and half
- 1/2 cup Organic Whole Milk Plain Kefir
- 1 cup shaved (or shredded) Parmesan cheese, divided in half
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
- ½ tsp. black pepper
- 1 tsp. dried Italian seasoning (no salt) or use dried oregano
- 2 tbsp. dried parsley or 3-4 tbsp. fresh parsley
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Bring water to a boil for pasta. Then cook pasta following package instructions. Drain, but reserve 1 cup of pasta water; set aside.
- Meanwhile, place oil in a large saucepan or stock pot on the stove, and add the onions and cook until translucent and soft, slightly caramelized. Add diced fresh butternut squash pieces, and cook 3-4 minutes until lightly browned (alternatively, you can roast it beforehand in the oven if you prefer and just add it here to the pot once roasted).
- Stir in tomato sauce, half-and-half, Lifeway kefir, and the reserved pasta water (but not the pasta yet). Then add 1/2 cup of Lifeway Farmer Cheese, 1/2 cup Parmesan, diced Roma tomatoes, salt, pepper, sage, Italian seasoning, and parsley; bring to a simmer. Cook and stir 2–3 minutes until the cheese melts and the sauce thickens.
- Stir in the cooked, drained pasta, and mix to combine until the pasta is well-coated. Place combined mixture into a 13- x 9-inch baking casserole dish; top with remaining 1/2 cup Lifeway Farmer Cheese and remaining Parmesan cheese, spreading evenly throughout the top. Bake 12–15 minutes until the topping has browned and the mixture is bubbly. Serve with warm French toast or another option, such as more cooked veggies which are great with this high-protein meal!
