Roasted Garlic and Butternut Squash Cassoulet

Another 5 Star from CL, and a 2-3 Star from us.

First is takes a long time to make.  I remembered this while at work (D had the day off) and texted him at 4pm to let him know dinner takes awhile).  He was glad I told him.  Second, there was no onion taste what so ever.  When D mentioned that he didn't taste the onions, I realized I didn't taste any.  The Pancetta was kind of flavorless too. Pretty much it was a bowl of beans.

I don't think we will have this again.  On the plus side, it did use up the butternut squash we had left over from last week.

Roasted Garlic and Butternut Squash Cassoulet

To get a head start, roast the garlic, caramelize the onions, and even assemble this robust casserole the day before you plan to serve it. Use leftover roasted garlic to flavor soups, or combine with olive oil as a spread for toasted baguette slices. Pancetta is Italian unsmoked bacon. You can substitute regular smoked bacon, but use less, as the smoky flavor is more assertive.

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1 3/4 cups)

Ingredients
1 whole garlic head
4 ounces pancetta, chopped

2 cups vertically sliced onion
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
4 1/2 cups (1/2-inch) cubed peeled butternut squash (about 2 pounds)
1/2 cup organic vegetable broth (such as Swanson Certified Organic)
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 (16-ounce) cans cannellini or other white beans, rinsed and drained
1 bay leaf
2 (1-ounce) slices white bread
2 tablespoons grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°.

Remove white papery skin from garlic head (do not peel or separate the cloves). Wrap garlic head in foil. Bake at 350° for 1 hour; cool 10 minutes. Separate cloves; squeeze to extract garlic pulp. Set half of garlic pulp aside; reserve remaining garlic pulp for another use. Discard skins.

Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add pancetta; sauté 5 minutes or until crisp. Remove pancetta from pan, reserving drippings in pan. Add onion and 1 tablespoon oil to drippings in pan; sauté 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook 25 minutes or until onion is very tender and browned, stirring frequently. Stir in vinegar.

Preheat oven to 375°.

Add garlic pulp, pancetta, squash, and next 6 ingredients (through bay leaf) to onion mixture, stirring well. Place bread in a food processor, and pulse 10 times or until coarse crumbs measure about 1 cup. Combine breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, and 1/2 teaspoon olive oil; sprinkle evenly over squash mixture. Cover and bake at 375° for 50 minutes or until squash is tender. Uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes or until topping is browned. Discard bay leaf. Sprinkle with parsley.

Nutritional Information
Calories: 259; Calories from fat: 27%; Fat: 7.7g; Saturated fat: 2.6g; Monounsaturated fat: 3.6g; Polyunsaturated fat: 1.4g; Protein: 9.5g; Carbohydrate: 38.8g; Fiber: 8g; Cholesterol: 11mg; Iron: 3mg; Sodium: 679mg; Calcium: 131mg

Cooking Light NOVEMBER 2006