“I’m not hungry so I’ll just have a bite” were my husband’s last words before finishing off the entire portion. I guess it’s a keeper. 🙂
This week, I wanted to highlight in-season Kousa squash, tomatoes, and spinach from Farmer Dave’s, the fabulous locally grown organic mushrooms from Fat Moon Mushrooms via our vendor Neighbor’s Acre Farm, as well a product from our meat farmer Lilac Hedge Farm. I went with ground pork for the latter, but their ground pork, turkey, or sausage (sans casings) would work just as well.
Click HERE to see the recipe that inspired me, and the source of the tasty zucchini crust, and click HERE to watch the “not live at the market” cooking demo video.
Ground Pork and Veggie Casserole with Kousa Squash Crust
- 2 cups shredded or grated Kousa, (or summer or zucchini squash)
- 2 large eggs
- 2/3 cup parmesan cheese, grated or shredded
- 3 cups shredded cheddar (or cheese(s) of choice), divided between crust and filling
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 pound ground pork, (or beef, sausage, (no casings), or turkey)
- 1-2 Tbsp oil to sauté veggies
- 3/4 cup onion, chopped
- 2 cups mushrooms, fresh, sliced = 4 cups once chopped, 6 oz)
- 1 cup chopped squash, then 4-6 oz fresh spinach, and two medium to largish tomatoes, finely chopped
- cooking spray or vegetable oil of choice
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and lightly coat a 9×13 pan with cooking spray or oil.
Place grated zucchini in a strainer, sprinkle with salt and toss. Let stand for 15 minutes.
Add eggs, parmesan cheese and half of the shredded cheese (s) to a medium sized mixing bowl and set aside.
Squeeze out moisture from the squash with paper or dish towel. Add to egg and cheese mix and stir to combine. Press, as evenly as possible, into your prepared pan. Feel free to use your hands! Bake, uncovered, for 25 minutes.
In the meantime, cook ground meat in a medium (12” works) frying pan until no longer pink. Remove from pan and drain if needed. In same pan, add oil as needed and sautĂ© onion, squash, and mushrooms over medium heat until just tender. Add spinach and tomatoes. Add back the cooked ground pork and mix. Put mixture onto the now-baked squash crust in the 9×13 pan. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake for 20 minutes longer, until heated through. Let rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving. Enjoy!