Add some vegan meals post holiday: Squash & Spinach Pie with Feta in Phyllo

With all the holiday feasting and meat dishes abound, it was time to feature a vegan dish which includes  butternut or acorn squash from those holiday dinners. You can add spinach or kale, a dash of lemon zest & feta or other cheese with Phyllo. Bring out your cast iron skillet! This is the perfect pan for this dish for stove top, to oven, to table.

I professionally cooked and inspired many clients and now patients as a Registered Dietitian /Nutritionist on the joys of  frequent vegan eating in the diet.  Main dish or side dish.. it’s all good. Here goes!

Butternut squash is one of those good for you starchy vegetables and so rich and satisfying that when featured in a recipe, marries well with lots of flavors.

1 cup cubed  butternut squash has:

82 calories

20 grams of carbohydrate

6 grams of fiber

Recipe:

2 cups cubed butternut squash 

1 egg beaten

2 cups of spinach or kale chopped

2 sprigs of thyme leaves

1/2 cup crumbled feta or goat cheese

3 tablspoons of parmesan cheese grated

juice of one lemon

zest of 1/2 lemon

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

salt and black pepper to taste

1/2 cup cooked sliced carrots

1/2 red onion chopped

olive oil or 2 tablespoons of melted butter

1/2 package of phyllo dough

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In the oven proof pan or cast iron skillet, saute a chopped onion until soft and translucent, add the cubed butternut squash and carrots and cook until soft. Remove contents from the pan and pour into a mixing bowl and add the rest of the ingredients to the butternut squash mixture and mix well .

Clean out the oven proof pan with a towel and cover the bottom of the pan with 8 ounces of the defrosted phyllo dough and allow the ends to overhang about 6 inches. Drizzle some olive oil or 2 tablespoons of melted butter  over the phyllo.

Pour the vegetable mixture into the phyllo covered pan and overlap the phyllo over the butternut squash mixture allowing for the middle to remain uncovered. On the stove, cook at medium heat for 3 minutes, in the pan and then place in the preheated oven. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown.