Not Your Average Casserole: Moroccan Lamb, Beef ‘n Butternut Bake

You know those times after surveying your fridge, freezer and pantry when you realized you had a bunch of great ingredients, but weren’t quite sure how to combine them? Before making this dish, all I knew was I wanted to create a new casserole that was full of wonderful flavors, but needed minimal prep.

My ingredient treasure hunt turned up ground beef and lamb, garlic, butternut squash, dried cherries and fresh spinach. I also found toasted pistachios which I thought would be nice to toss in at the end for a bit of crunch. And I always have on board an array of my favorite Moroccan spices such as cumin, garam masala, turmeric and cinnamon which I knew would pair perfectly with these ingredients. So after a bit of experimentation, this delicious one-dish meal was born.

Moroccan Lamb, Beef ‘n Butternut Bake

Recipe Adapted from: Lamb and Butternut Squash Stew via Cooking Light Magazine October 2014

Yield: about 4 servings

Click here for the full recipe, but in the nutshell, here is what you do:

Sauté ground lamb and beef together for about 5 minutes or until no pink color remains. Drain well and transfer to a bowl. Cover to keep warm.

Reduce heat to medium. In the same skillet, heat olive oil over medium setting. Stir in onion, garlic and butternut squash; sauté for about 10 minutes or until softened.

Stir in tomato paste, spices and salt, combining well.

Stir in beef broth, tart cherry or pomegranate juice, combining well.

Return cooked lamb-beef mixture to the skillet, stirring for 2 minutes. Fold in dried cherries (or cranberries). Cover skillet; bake for 15 minutes. (If your skillet doesn’t have a lid, cover with foil.)

Remove skillet from oven. Fold in baby spinach or kale; gently stirring just until wilted.

Before serving, garnish with toasted pistachios and chopped cilantro or parsley.

Print Recipe

Moroccan Lamb, Beef 'n Butternut Bake

You know those times after surveying your fridge, freezer and pantry when you realized you had a bunch of great ingredients, but weren’t quite sure how to combine them? Before making this dish, all I knew was I wanted to create a new casserole that was full of wonderful flavors, but needed minimal prep. My ingredient treasure hunt turned up ground beef and lamb, garlic, butternut squash, dried cherries, pistachios and fresh spinach. And I always have on board an array of my favorite Moroccan spices which I thought would pair perfectly with these ingredients. So after a bit of experimentation, this delicious one-dish meal was born.

Recipe Adapted from: Lamb and Butternut Squash Stew via Cooking Light Magazine October 2014

Author: Linda Shapiro, © Meal Planning Maven

Ingredients

• Olive oil spray
• 1 pound ground lamb
• 3/4 pound lean ground beef

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 large onion chopped
• 4 cloves garlic chopped
• 4 cups butternut squash chunks
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger optional
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika or regular paprika
• 1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• ½ to 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ to 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup all natural reduced-sodium beef broth
• 1 cup tart cherry juice or unsweetened pomegranate juice like POM
• 1/3 cup dried cherries or cranberries I like juice-sweetened by Eden
• 4 cups baby spinach or kale

Garnishes

• 2 tablespoons toasted pistachios
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro or Italian parsley

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly coat a 3-quart oven-proof skillet or Dutch oven (with a lid) with olive oil spray; heat over medium-high setting.
• Sauté ground lamb and beef together for about 5 minutes or until no pink color remains. Drain well and transfer to a bowl. Cover to keep warm. Set aside.
• Reduce heat to medium. In the same skillet, heat olive oil over medium setting. Stir in onion, garlic and butternut squash; sauté for about 10 minutes or until softened.
• Stir in tomato paste, spices and salt, combining well.
• Stir in beef broth, tart cherry or pomegranate juice, combining well.
• Return cooked beef-lamb mixture to the skillet, stirring for 2 minutes.
• Fold in dried cherries (or cranberries).
• Cover skillet; bake for about 20 minutes. Taste; if the butternut squash is not soft enough, bake for an additional 5 minutes, or until done to your liking. (If your skillet doesn't have a lid, cover with foil.)
• Remove skillet from oven. Fold in baby spinach or kale; gently stirring just until wilted.
• Before serving, garnish with toasted pistachios and chopped cilantro or parsley.

Notes

Make Ahead and Storage Tips: casserole may be made up to 3 days ahead; cover tightly and refrigerate. Reheat, covered at 325 degrees F for about 15 minutes or until hot. May be frozen for up to 4 months.

Notes

Timesaver Tip: look for packages of peeled and cut-up butternut squash in supermarkets and specialty grocers like Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods.

Garam masala is not a single spice. Rather it is made up of a collection of heady spices such as ground cumin, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and nutmeg mixed with black pepper which gives foods a sweet flavor with a bit of a “bite.” Experiment with it in soups as well as fish, seafood, beef and poultry dishes that call for an exotic taste. Garam masala can be found in the spice section of natural and specialty food stores such as Whole Foods, some supermarkets or online. A few years ago, I was lucky to be able to bring back a variety of freshly ground spices including garam masala from a local market I visited during a trip to Israel . I can’t wait to return to buy more!

Don’t care for lamb? This casserole would be equally delicious made either with all ground beef or swap both for ground turkey.

For a heartier meal: serve this casserole on top of a bed of cooked couscous, quinoa or wild rice.

As this casserole is rather filling, just serve it with a simple green salad with fruit for dessert. You may also enjoy Crockpot Moroccan Beef Stew or Crockpot Chicken Tagine.

Click HERE for Crockpot Moroccan Beef Stew Recipe

Click HERE for Crockpot Chicken Tagine Recipe

Coming to the Blog: A Super Bowl Favorite – Confetti Turkey Chili

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