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Butternut Squash Quinoa Casserole

Butternut squash quinoa casserole is full of vegetables and makes a delicious vegetarian, gluten-free, and vegan friendly casserole for the whole family.

Butternut squash and other vegetables mixed together with quinoa  in casserole pan topped with cheese

This casserole could have been a food fail.

Sometimes I don’t have a plan whatsoever for what I’m going to cook. I use it as an opportunity to use up veggies and random items in my pantry, and live up to my “trial and eater” name.

What I definitely needed to use up was a huge carton of pre-cut butternut squash. Beyond that, I knew I’d have to get creative.

Somehow in my head I thought it would be a good idea to use butternut squash in place of pasta and drench it in spaghetti sauce.

If that wouldn’t have been weird enough, the only sauce I had in my pantry was vodka sauce. Which is pretty thick and creamy.

You’d think after that I’d definitely have changed my mind about this weird experiment. But you’d be wrong.

Continuing with the butternut squash + vodka sauce idea, I started to cook some quinoa. Because yeah, that would go with vodka sauce (??).

I blame low blood sugar for my poor decision making skills.

Anyway, quinoa cooking and casserole dish prepped, I try to open the vodka sauce.

I’m telling you, I tried. I banged the top against the counter.

I used those grippy things. Ran the lid under hot water. It would.not.open. I think that was the universe telling me to give.it.up.

For all I know, butternut squash and vodka sauce is amazing. But I’ll never know.

What I DO know is that this quinoa casserole tasted much better than I imagine my original idea would.

cut up butternut squash and vegetables all together in a casserole pan

I tried to save a step and see if the butternut squash would cook in the casserole with the quinoa, and I could not get that to work.

If anybody has tips for me on how to do that, please let me know. Maybe I needed more liquid in the dish for that to work?

Either way, I recommend pre-roasting the butternut squash and then tossing the quinoa and vegetables together to bake.

You can do that on the stove-top like this recipe, or oven-roast like this. Either way should take you about 15 minutes.

before adding cheese to casserole

I went for more of a mexican-food vibe with black beans and corn, and tossed an avocado and tomato in there too.

Some people don’t like to add avocado before baking, so you can add slices after if you’d prefer.

To keep it vegan, you can leave off the cheese or use a non-dairy cheese.

But these pictures used real cheese.

Butternut squash and other vegetables mixed together with quinoa makes a delicious vegetarian, gluten-free, and vegan friendly casserole for the whole family.
squash casserole in blue baking dish

You could also prep this recipe ahead of time (roast the squash, cook the quinoa, etc.) and put everything together in the casserole dish in the fridge.

I wouldn’t recommend trying to freeze this, but storing in the fridge for a day or two before baking should be fine. Everything will get hot and melted again after you put it in the oven.

close up of the butternut squash cheesy quinoa casserole
scooping out a portion fo the butternut squash quinoa casserole with large spoon

You can smother it in hot sauce.

a portion of butternut squash quinoa casserole on white plate topped with hot sauce

Or top with salsa or enchilada sauce.

a portion of butternut squash quinoa casserole on white plate topped with enchilada sauce

But probably not vodka sauce. 😉

Want more butternut squash recipes? Try this squash & veggie bake dinner or this butternut squash macaroni!

Yield: 8

Butternut Squash Quinoa Casserole

Butternut squash and other vegetables mixed together with quinoa makes a delicious vegetarian, gluten-free, and vegan friendly casserole for the whole family.

Butternut squash and other vegetables mixed together with quinoa makes a delicious vegetarian, gluten-free, and vegan friendly casserole for the whole family.

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Prep Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 6 cups cubed butternut squash
  • 1 cup uncooked quinoa + 2 cups water (3 cups cooked)
  • 2 cups corn
  • 1 (15 oz.) can black beans (a little more than a cup), drained and rinsed
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin (see notes)
  • 1 lime, juiced
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1 tomato (chopped)
  • 1 avocado (diced)
  • 2 cups cheddar cheese (non-dairy cheese if vegan)
  • Salsa or hot sauce (optional, for serving)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
  2. Roast the butternut squash with olive oil either in the oven (400°F for 15 minutes, further instructions can be found here) or on the stovetop (medium-high heat until soft, about 10-12 minutes like in this recipe).
  3. Meanwhile, cook quinoa according to package instructions (Add the quinoa + water in a sauce pan, bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer until water is mostly absorbed, about 15 minutes).
  4. In a large casserole dish (at least 9x13), add the cooked squash and quinoa, corn and black beans. Sprinkle in cumin, lime juice, salt and pepper and mix together.
  5. Add tomato and avocado (you may prefer to wait until after baking to add the avocado). Top with cheese.
  6. Bake at 400°F for 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Notes

If you desire extra crunch with this casserole, add 1/2 - 1 cup bread crumbs or panko (gluten-free if necessary) before adding the cheese.

*Cumin can be a stronger, earthy spice. If you don't frequently cook with this spice or think 1 tablespoon might end up being too bold for your tastes, start by mixing in 1 teaspoon and taste the quinoa mixture before baking. You can then work your way up to 1 tablespoon if you find necessary.

**If you find the cumin flavor is overpowering after baking, it can be helpful to add something sweet to "counteract" it a little bit. I would suggest a sprinkle of ground cinnamon. 

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1/8 recipe

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 406Total Fat: 20gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 30mgSodium: 299mgCarbohydrates: 47gFiber: 11gSugar: 6gProtein: 15g

Nutrition information is calculated automatically by an online tool at Nutritionix. It is not always accurate. Please use your own tools to check if you rely on this information.

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Leah Cobb

Thursday 14th of December 2023

I am glad others liked it but it was not for us. I want to admit I did not roast the squash in small cubes - I baked the whole squash to soften then peeled it. So perhaps that made a difference? But the flavors are bland and strange together. We are vegan so perhaps the vegan cheese (Daiya cheddar) led to a strange texture? My husband ate one helping leaving me to eat the rest. I made a half batch thankfully as I often do with untested recipes. We have been vegan over the past 2 years and this is unfortunately the biggest mistake I have made with online recipes. I am trying to finish it for lunch today bc the food itself is very healthy and filling - just not in this combo. Sorry but I do NOT recommend this one.

Eddie Holzem

Thursday 14th of December 2023

This was a lovely combination. I modified it a bit and wanted to share. Instead of all butternut squash, I had equal measure of butternut squash, potato, and sweet potato. I added one large white onion (sauteed in avocado oil and garlic before adding) and toasted 1 cup of baking walnuts (chopped). The walnuts are a great way to add fats if you don't have or don't like avocado; plus, it was nice to have a slightly different texture. I love cumin, so I did the whole tablespoon but added smoked paprika. Next time I make this, I will try mixing up more spices to create a more savory flavor; perhaps a mix of garlic salt, smoked paprika, pepper, salt, oregano, and cumin. Do you have any ideas for a more savory mixture?

Nona

Sunday 3rd of December 2023

Is it possible to prepare it with frozen cubes of butternut?

Deb

Thursday 12th of January 2023

This recipe made me so happy. I'm from the midwest where we're big on hot dish and this pinged all the right buttons for me while meeting all my dietary requirements and being super delicious. Thank you for this recipe!

Genny

Thursday 13th of January 2022

I made this dish and it just tasted very bland to me. It needs something to bring it all together.

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