Tropical meets comfort

When I think of island vacation getaways, I think of coconuts.  When I think of winter comfort cooking, my mind goes to butternut squash.  So why not combine the two? 

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Oh yes I did.

The base of the dish was made and then frozen nearly a month ago…back when my friend gave me two cases of butternut squash.

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I used the slow cooker, adding an entire butternut squash (cubed) and a box of Vita Coco coconut water and leaving it alone for 4 hours to do it’s thang. 

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Before and after.

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Then I tupperwared it up, threw it in the freezer, and forgot about it for a few months.

Cut to the other day…

I took the coconut squash out of the freezer and submerged it in a warm water bath in the sink to thaw.  When it had reached a semi-liquefied state, I put it in the slower cooker to both finish thawing and start cooking.  

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After a couple of hours the formerly cubed squash chunks started to puree on their own from simply being cooked for so long. 

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At this point I added in a can of chickpeas and 1/2 cup coconut flour and let it cook for another hour.  The flour thickened up the squash and absorbed the excess liquid perfectly.

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Had I planned ahead (or known where I was going with the dish), I would have cooked the pasta in the crock-pot, too.  Oh well. 

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I cooked them separately, then combined them in a casserole dish afterwards.

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Coconut & Butternut Pasta Casserole

Ingredients:

  • 1 butternut squash, chopped
  • 1 1/2 cup pasta shells (dry)
  • 1 can (15 oz.) chickpeas
  • 1 cup coconut water
  • 1/2 cup coconut flour
  • salt (to taste)

*note: I may add in broccoli next time for a contrasting color/texture

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This pasta bake was a surprising success.  Most casseroles use cheese to hold the ingredients together, but in this case, the butternut squash did the trick. 

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Kyle was the first to dig in, taking a little scoop before heading off to a dinner meeting.  He doesn’t even like squash on it’s own, and he liked the dish so that says a lot.

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The squash almost seems cheesy (a good way to sneak in veggies for those who may have trouble fitting in all the recommended servings).  Plus, the healthy vitamins, minerals, and fiber of squash certainly trumps the nutritional profile of cheese.  When combined with chickpeas and durum wheat shells, the stats of this vegan dish are beyond impressive – all macronutrients accounted for. 

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I served my portion up alongside a spinach and Bragg’s salad.

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The subtle coconut notes were the best part of the dish.  Seriously yum.  I had a second serving that was even more generous than my first.  I’m pretty sure this is the perfect way to ring in spring. 

Before I go, I wanted to spread the word about a donation rally raising funds for the American Red Cross’ Japan-related relief efforts.  The Blogging for a Change Donation Rally will be going all week and 100% of of proceeds will go straight to the Red Cross to help Japan rebuild!

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Comments (25)

  1. Freya

    That is a genius idea! I have squash, chickpeas and coconut water..but no coconut flour. Gah!

  2. Brown On Rice

    Ooo que delicioso! I really do need a slow cooker. Le sigh. Endless possibilities, almost like getting a Brazilian blow out, ey? 😉

  3. Annabel @ www.FeedMeImCranky.com

    YUM! I will have to try this out! Would it be weird to add shredded coconut on top? I think the subtle sweet flakiness might work. Thanks for spreading the word about Blogging for a Change!

  4. hippierunner

    That’s amazing that you just thought it up and it turned out so well. Looks good!

  5. janetha @ meals & moves

    casserole recipe! a girl after my own heart.

  6. Lauren (Diary of a Vegan Girl)

    Coconut and squash? What a neat combination!

  7. Meg

    Oh wowww, I need to make this (a GF version!) ASAP – I love butternut squash and never make anything other than fries with it…here’s to exploration!

  8. Katie

    You are so dang creative! I would never have thought to put those two flavors together. The perfect way to welcome the springtime, for sure.

  9. Jenny

    Don’t know why I’ve never bothered to pair pasta and butternut squash before. This looks delicious! 😀

  10. Ma Ma Megan

    Oh. My. God.
    This looks so freaking good. Making this soon! Expect to see me raving aboout it my blog because I’m drooling 😛

  11. Michelle

    Hi,

    This is off-topic and a little weird so I apologize in advance. I’ve been reading your blog for awhile now- I know you said on your Info page that you’re from California, moved to New York and then back to California. I’d like to pick your brain a bit about moving cross-country to California. I’m an RN as well (soon to be ARNP after I graduate next May) and would like to get a bit of advice from you as to nice areas in California, colleges to teach at, etc. Would you mind if I e-mailed you?

    Many thanks in advance.

  12. elise

    Not at all. Feel free to email and ill try to be as helpful as I can. 🙂

  13. Michelle

    What’s your e-mail address? If you don’t want to post it, you can e-mail me first at meb05fATgmailDOTcom

    Thanks 🙂

  14. Kiersten

    That sounds delicious!

  15. BroccoliHut

    Yum, yum. Chickpeas and squash go so well together–can’t wait to try this!

  16. Pure2raw Twins

    Brilliant! I love both of those so pairing together sounds amazing. I love finding good flavor combos that are fun and unique!

  17. Sami

    MMM! You need to create a cookbook 🙂

    Just sayin’ <3

    Do you think this cassserole would work without coconut flour? I don't have any 🙁

  18. Kelsey @ Unmitigated Grub

    YUMMMM. You had me at coconuts and butternut squash.

  19. elise

    yeah. im sure it would work with regular flour – but just to get additional tropical flavor, maybe add in some extra coconut in the form of milk or butter or something?

  20. annecalista

    wow- that looks amazing!

  21. holly

    genius! i never would have thought to use coconut water for a cooking liquid. this is why i keep you around e-dawg 🙂

  22. Ashley

    This recipe looks delicious! Is there any way to make it without the slow cooker (don’t have one)?

    ps. love your site!

  23. Elise (Post author)

    definitely. just cook it in a big pot until its thickened.

  24. melissa

    How big was the squash used?

  25. Elise (Post author)

    medium/large

Comments are closed.