Pumpkin Casserole

Jeff the Chef

This cheesy, oniony, garlicky pumpkin casserole is made with spaghetti squash, pumpkin marinara, and Swiss and Gruyère cheeses. It’s fantastic straight out of the oven and also reheats perfectly. Although you could make it with beef, ground turkey emphasizes the inherent lightness of the marinara and squash.

Pumpkin Casserole
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Pumpkin Casserole

Recipe by Make It Like a Man!Course: DinnerDifficulty: Medium
Makes

8-12

servings

Prepare the squash days in advance and refrigerate, if you like.

Ingredients

  • 1 spaghetti squash (4 lbs, 5 oz. before roasting)

  • 2 Tbs (garlic-infused) olive oil

  • 1 onion, quartered and sliced

  • 3 large garlic cloves, minced

  • 1 lb. ground turkey (or beef)

  • 2 cups pumpkin marinara, divided

  • 1 Tbs tomato paste

  • 1 tsp dried basil

  • 1/2 tsp dried oregano

  • 1/2 tsp dried thyme

  • 1 tsp salt

  • 4 oz. Swiss, shredded

  • 4 oz. Gruyere, shredded

  • Parsley, chopped, for garnish

Directions

  • Prepare the squash
  • Preheat the oven to 375°F (350°F convection). Stab the squash all over with a small, sharp knife in a menacing kind of way. Place it on a rimmed sheet pan, and roast it until it’s soft, 1 hour and 35 minutes, flipping it after 45 minutes. Once cool enough to handle, slice the squash open, remove the seeds, and scrape the flesh into a colander. Allow to drain while carrying out next steps.
  • Prepare the casserole
  • Preheat oven to 325°F. Heat oil in a large frying pan over a medium flame (setting 4 out of 9) and sauté the onion until translucent, 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Push the veg to the outer circumference of the pan and add the turkey to the center, breaking it up as it browns, 5 minutes. Add 1 cup of the pumpkin marinara, the tomato paste, herbs, and salt. Simmer 5 minutes over low heat (setting 2). Off heat, stir in 1/2-cup of the remaining marinara.
  • Transfer half of the turkey mixture to a 9×13″ baking pan, and spread it evenly. Top with squash, distributing it gently but evenly. Spread remaining turkey mixture over the squash. Spread remaining marinara over the turkey mixture. Top with both cheeses. Bake until cheese browns lightly, 35 minutes.
  • Dab up any excess oil from the cheese with paper towels, if necessary. Allow to stand 5 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Notes

  • The oil doesn’t have to be garlic-infused, but I do think that it adds to the depth of flavor.
"Pumpkin Casserole," from Make It Like a Man!

Social Learning

There are plenty of ways to roast a spaghetti squash. Use your favorite. It’s not necessary that the squash strands are as long as they can be, so you don’t need to worry about that when deciding on methods.

I used a homemade marinara, but the friend upon whose recipe this one is based gets her pumpkin marinara from Aldi. I’ve had her version of this casserole, and it’s quite good.

Were it not for having to roast the squash, this would be a very easy casserole to make. Roasting the squash isn’t difficult – in fact, it’s insanely easy. But it takes a lot of time, and I often think that recipes that require lots of time, even if the amount of effort and skill is low, don’t qualify as “easy” in many people’s minds. I recommend that you prepare the squash in the evening, while you stream stand-up comedy in the living room. Then let it sit, fully prepped, in the fridge, and make the casserole the following day.

"Pumpkin Casserole," from Make It Like a Man!

The Backstory

One of the things I love about this casserole is that, as packed as it is with flavor, it feels light. For that reason, although you could swap out beef for the turkey, I would resist that idea.

This pumpkin casserole has a beautiful bit of a tang. It’s very garlicky in the best way. I wouldn’t say that you taste “pumpkin” per se, but you clearly taste “squash,” and the spaghetti squash makes up an important part of the texture. The herbs come through subtly, but beautifully.

My neighbors got together to host an anual fall block party/potluck. It’s a nice event that allows us all to get to know one another. I made a new friend there this year, Rochelle, who brought a pumpkin casserole that I absolutely loved and was eager to make. She uses a store-bought marinara. I made one from scratch: that’s the main difference between our recipes … although I also changed up the proportions, partly in response to what I assume are probably differences in our marinaras, but also to suit my own tastes. Thank you, Rochelle, for sharing this recipe with me!

"Pumpkin Casserole," from Make It Like a Man!
Pumpkin Casserole

Credit for images on this page: Make It Like a Man!, unless otherwise indicated. Thank you, Kesor. This content was not solicited by anyone, nor was it written in exchange for anything. References: Martha. Make It Like a Man! has been ranked by Feedspot as #14 in the Top 30 Men’s Cooking Blogs. Keep up with us on Bloglovin’

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26 thoughts on “Pumpkin Casserole”

    • Thanks! I hadn’t had anything like this either, which is why I was so glad that my new friend shared her recipe.

      Reply

    • What does he have against innocent spaghetti squash? Hahah. It’s pretty prominent in the casserole = I mean, not in a “stand out” kind of way, but in a “it’s obviously in there” kind of way.

      Reply

  6. this really does sound delicious jeff! and it looks very appealing too. I used to make a lasagne with a layer of pumpkin puree, and one of a tomato-based sauce and a green layer – probably pureed broccoli! delish and pretty! Pumpkin is so useful and if you bake it skin-on, it’s incredibly easy to cook.
    sherry recently posted…In My Kitchen – November 2022

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  9. Who can resist pumpkin recipes this time of the year! Rachel’s recipe sounds delicious and I would use store bought marinara too (although I’m sure homemade is superior). So nice to have a neighborhood that values community.
    Judee recently posted…Updated Tofu (Egg-Like) Salad

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  12. My thanks go out to Rochelle for this, too! Growing up, pumpkin was never a savory item – it was mainly used for pumpkin pies. But after trying a pumpkin alfredo sauce, my mind was blown. Now I see the light! This casserole sounds unique and delicious. Perfect for autumn!
    David @ Spiced recently posted…Molasses Spice Cake

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