I recently admitted to a case of seasonal dysmorphia, but last weekend I finally embraced fall. My roommate and I drove to a friend’s place in New Jersey and spent Sunday morning at a local farm full of every autumn activity you can imagine. There was apple picking, hayrides, pumpkin launching, and a very long line for apple cider slushies and warm donuts. We even saw the state’s largest pumpkin. It was delightful.
I loved the farm more than my companions—mostly because my childhood “pumpkin patch” in Santa Barbara was just a pile of pumpkins on the boardwalk. This farm was a full-blown rural spectacle: cozy, festive, and totally immersive. Even though I ended up sweating through my sweater, the day planted me firmly in fall mode.
Full disclosure: I had a rough hangover on Sunday, so I didn’t do much apple picking. I followed Logan around, eating donuts and lying in the grass while he used an apple picker to gather a respectable haul. When I got home I had only a few usable apples—about four good ones—so I opted for manageable recipes instead of a giant pie.
I used one apple for a salad, ate another, and used the third to make this Butternut Squash Brown Rice Bake with Sausage and Apples. This casserole is exactly the kind of cozy, cheesy fall food I love: sweet apples and roasted butternut squash paired with savory sausage, fresh thyme and sage, gooey fontina, and a crunchy Parmesan-Panko topping. It’s hearty, comforting, and ideal for a sweater-and-couch dinner.
This bake works well as a main (serves 4–6) alongside a simple salad or roasted vegetables, and it also makes a great side dish. You can leave out the sausage for a vegetarian version. With familiar fall flavors and easy steps, it’s a smart candidate for holiday menus too.
Don’t be intimidated by the instructions: most of the work is simple prep. You cook the brown rice, simmer and puree the butternut squash, then sauté the apple-onion-sage mixture with sausage. Stir everything together with fontina, top with Panko and Parmesan, and bake. From start to finish it takes about an hour and 15 minutes—perfectly manageable between episodes of whatever you’re streaming.
Happy fall—may it be full of casseroles, warm drinks, and cozy evenings.
Butternut Squash Brown Rice Bake with Sausage and Apples: (Serves 4-6)
Ingredients:
1 cup short-grain brown rice
4 cups cubed butternut squash (about ½ large squash)
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth, divided
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
½ medium yellow onion, finely chopped
1 large apple, diced small
1 tablespoon finely chopped sage (about 6 leaves)
1½ teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme
½ teaspoon kosher salt
3 links sweet Italian turkey sausage, casings removed
1 cup grated Fontina cheese
¼ cup whole wheat Panko breadcrumbs
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Preparation:
– Start the brown rice following package directions; it will take at least 45 minutes.
– Place the cubed butternut squash in a medium pot, add 3 cups of chicken broth, bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook 20–25 minutes until very tender.
– Using a slotted spoon, transfer the squash to a blender and puree until smooth. Reserve ¼ cup of the cooking liquid. If the blender needs help, add a tablespoon or two of the reserved liquid.
– Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
– In a 10–12″ cast-iron or ovenproof skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, apple, sage, thyme, and salt. Cook 5–6 minutes until the onion is translucent and the apple softens.
– Add the sausage, breaking it up with a spatula, and cook 6–8 minutes until no longer pink.
– Pour in the reserved ¼ cup of squash cooking liquid and cook 1 more minute, scraping up browned bits from the pan.
– Remove the skillet from heat. Stir in the cooked brown rice, butternut puree, and Fontina. Taste and add a little more salt if needed.
– In a small bowl, combine the Panko and Parmesan. Smooth the top of the filling, sprinkle the Panko mixture over it, and bake for 25 minutes until lightly browned around the edges. Serve warm.
Enjoy.
Butternut Squash Brown Rice Bake with Sausage and Apples
Ingredients
- 1 cup short-grain brown rice
- 4 cups cubed butternut squash (about ½ large squash)
- 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth, divided
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- ½ medium yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1 large apple, diced small
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped sage (about 6 leaves)
- 1½ teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 links sweet Italian turkey sausage, casings removed
- 1 cup grated Fontina cheese
- ¼ cup whole wheat Panko breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Cook the brown rice according to package directions (about 45 minutes).
- Place the squash in a pot with 3 cups chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then simmer, covered, 20–25 minutes until very tender. Transfer squash to a blender and puree until smooth, reserving ¼ cup cooking liquid.
- Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Heat olive oil in a 10–12″ ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add onion, apple, sage, thyme, and salt. Cook 5–6 minutes until onion is translucent and apple softens. Add sausage, breaking it up, and cook 6–8 minutes until no longer pink. Add reserved ¼ cup squash liquid and cook 1 minute, scraping browned bits.
- Turn off heat and stir in the cooked brown rice, butternut puree, and Fontina. Adjust salt if needed.
- Mix Panko and Parmesan in a small bowl. Smooth the filling, sprinkle the Panko mixture on top, and bake 25 minutes until lightly browned at the edges. Serve warm.
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