Tamala Stuffing butternut Squash Casserole

hey fans, last Thursday when my mom got home from urgent care, I decided to make her and I some soft foods such as my newest casserole creation, tamale stuffing butternut casserole its my own recipe I developed on my own, not from a cookbook source, so here are step by step photos, and the cheese pepper tamales I got a 4 pack minis at grocery outlet but you can use 3 larger ones are Mexican restaurants, most folks in south city love going to la tapatia,on grand avenue area so I would suggest picking 3 of the pepper cheese tamales there or if your grandma makes some have her send some leftovers great ideas for leftovers, a lot of ways to endless possibilities so get cooking and tell me if you liked the dish, Its been a rough couple of weeks of my special mom but I am hanging in there but will bring holiday cheer and will not let my followers down! I promised ok xoxo Chef Ava

Tamale Stuffing Butternut casserole

for the tamale stuffing

1 package (total of 4) mini pepper and cheese tamales cubed*see tip
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, ends trimmed and diced
2 celery stalks, ends trimmed and cut into strips and then into diced
2 tsp olive oil
2 tbl butter
salt and pepper to taste

for the butternut squash
1 butternut squash, ends cut, halved, seeded
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper to coat the squash
1/4 cup water, add 1 tbl if needed not too much we don't want to make it into a soup base
1 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

method
preheat oven to 375
place butternut squash halves on a roasting pan, drizzle with oil and season with salt and pepper and roast for 35-40 minutes until knife tender. let cool completely and then use a spoon to scoop the flesh into the blender along with nutmeg, more salt, pepper and cumin and water not too much we want a smooth puree not a soup, so blend until smooth. and let it sit as you make the stuffing
*when warming up tamales I suggest using a damp paper towel to wrap the cold tamales in and microwave for at least 2 1/2 minutes until heated through let cool then diced into cubes and place into a bowl. in a sauté pan heat oil/butter over medium heat add carrots, celery and cook for a few minutes then add the onion and sauté until cooked through and caramelized 6 minutes more. season with salt and pepper and transfer to the diced tamales and mix until incorporated. then transfer to a baking dish as your first layer, then add the butternut squash puree as your 2nd layer and top with shredded cheddar on top. bake for 25-30 minutes or until hot and bubbly enjoy with family/friends! yum!