Description
Creamy Baked Chickpeas with Butternut Squash combines tender roasted squash, hearty chickpeas, garlic, sage, thyme, and Parmesan in a cozy vegetarian casserole with a beautifully golden top.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1½ pounds butternut squash, peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes (about 4 rounded cups)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- ½ cup milk
- ¼ cup half-and-half
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled
- 6–8 fresh sage leaves, roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, divided
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, or more for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Grease a large baking sheet with 1 tablespoon olive oil.
- Arrange the cubed butternut squash and garlic cloves in a single layer. Drizzle with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Roast for 15–20 minutes, until the squash is fork-tender. Let cool slightly, but keep the oven on.
- Add the milk, half-and-half, roasted garlic, sage, 1 teaspoon thyme, salt, and black pepper to a blender or food processor. Add half of the roasted butternut squash, about 2 cups, and blend until smooth and creamy.
- Add the drained chickpeas and remaining roasted squash to a 1½- to 2½-quart casserole dish.
- Pour the butternut squash sauce over the chickpeas and squash. Stir gently until evenly coated.
- Sprinkle generously with Parmesan, the remaining thyme, and freshly ground black pepper.
- Bake at 400°F for 10 minutes, or until heated through and the cheese begins to melt.
- Turn the broiler on and broil for 2–3 minutes, watching carefully, until the Parmesan is bubbly and golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and let the casserole rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Cut the butternut squash into evenly sized ½-inch cubes so it roasts at the same rate.
- Drain the chickpeas thoroughly to prevent excess liquid from thinning the sauce.
- Freshly grated Parmesan melts and browns better than most packaged pre-shredded cheese.
- Watch the casserole constantly while broiling because Parmesan can brown very quickly.
- For a lighter sauce, replace the half-and-half with additional milk.
- Leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container for 3–4 days.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/6 of casserole
- Calories: 360 kcal
- Sugar: 7 g
- Sodium: 620 mg
- Fat: 14 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 47 g
- Fiber: 10 g
- Protein: 15 g
- Cholesterol: 20 mg