LOW CARB CHEESY SQUASH AND SPINACH CASSEROLE
My fiance bought a squash and it sat on the counter for 2 weeks because neither of us really knew what to do with it. The traditional way to make squash is with lots of brown sugar….and that is out of the question, so I went on a Google search to find a way to make this as low carb as possible. I found a base recipe and changed some things, and let me tell you, it was delicious! Yes, squash is a starchy vegetable and not normally consumed on a low carb diet, but on occasion it’s good for your gut to get some high fiber starchy veggies, so don’t worry about having squash every once in awhile (minus the sugar of course!). Here is my recipe. P.s. I am now dubbing this one to take the place of potatoes au gratin AND squash casserole at holiday gatherings.
INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 Tablespoon butter
1 small onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups peeled and cubed yellow squash
2 cups baby spinach
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup sliced raw almonds
1 1/2 cup shredded Colby-Monterey Jack cheese, divided
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
2 eggs
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
Heat olive oil and butter in a skillet over medium-high heat; cook and stir onion and garlic in the hot oil-butter mixture until softened, about 3 minutes. Add squash, salt, and pepper; stir to combine. Cover skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until squash is softened, about 5 minutes. Transfer squash mixture to a large bowl.
Mix raw almonds and 1/2 cup Colby-Monterey Jack cheese together in a bowl; stir into squash mixture.
Whisk cream and eggs together in a measuring cup or small bowl; stir into squash mixture.
Grease a 9x13 casserole dish with olive oil. Take one cup of baby spinach and layer at the bottom of the dish. Pour and layer half of the squash mixture on top of the 1st layer of spinach. Place a second cup of the baby spinach on top of the 1st layer of squash. Then finally add the last half of the squash mixture on top of the second layer of spinach. Top with remaining Colby-Monterey Jack cheese and almond mixture if desired.
Bake in the preheated oven until casserole is golden brown and bubbling, 20- 30 minutes.
