Shelly's Recipe

BUTTERNUT CASSOULET WITH BACON AND ROASTED GARLIC

Category: Squash

1 bulb garlic, roasted
2 oz bacon, chopped
2 whole onions, vertically sliced
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil, divided
2 tbsp white wine
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
2 lbs butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1/2 cup vegetable broth
1/2 tsp dried thyme
3/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 whole bay leaf
4 (15 oz) cans white beans/Great Northern Or Cannellini
2 slices Sourdough Or Italian Bread
2 tbsp grated parmesan
Fresh chopped parsley, for garnish

Roast garlic: Simply peel off the papery white skin from your garlic bulb (but don’t peel or separate the cloves). Wrap it up good in foil and bake at 350 for an hour. Let it cool 10 minutes, then squeeze it out into a bowl and mash it up.

Heat a large Dutch oven over medium high heat. Saute bacon for about 5 minutes. Remove your bacon bits to a bowl.

Add onion and 1 tbsp of olive oil to the pan; saute 5 minutes. Then reduce heat to medium or medium low, and cook for 10 minutes. Add wine to deglaze the pan a bit, then cook for 15 more minutes, or until onions are silky and soft and browned. Stir frequently. When they have finished cooking, remove from heat and stir in the white wine vinegar.

Preheat oven to 375.

In a medium sized roaster or large casserole, mix onion mixture, garlic pulp, bacon, squash, broth, spices, bay leaf, and beans, stirring well.

Place bread pieces in a food processor and pulse until they are coarse crumbs. Add the Parmesan cheese and remaining 1/2 tsp of olive oil and combine. Sprinkle these crumbs over the top of your squash mixture.

Now you have two options. Cover and bake at 375 for 1 hour and 5 minutes, or until squash is tender.

Alternatively, you can bake this at 325 for about 2 1/4 hours.

Either way you choose, take the lid off the last 15 minutes of baking to brown up the topping.

Discard bay leaf and sprinkle with parsley.