Butternut Squash & Brown Rice Casserole (Dump & Bake)

GFGluten FreeNFNut FreeOFOil FreeVVegan
5 from 23 votes
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This Butternut Squash & Brown Rice Casserole is packed with nutritious seasonal veggies, hearty brown rice, and protein-rich white beans for a well-balanced vegan meal! Gluten-Free, Oil-Free. 

Table of Contents
  1. A Dump & Bake Casserole for Cozy Days
  2. What You Need for Butternut Squash & Brown Rice Casserole
  3. How to Make Butternut Squash & Brown Rice Casserole
  4. Substitutions and Variations
  5. Serving Suggestions
  6. Butternut Squash & Brown Rice Casserole (Dump & Bake) Recipe

This Butternut Squash & Brown Rice Casserole is an easy dump & bake recipe that’s perfect for cozy weeknight dinners or easy meal prep. It’s loaded with fall and winter vegetables, fluffy rice, and hearty beans for a nourishing, well-balanced meal. 

butternut squash casserole in bowl topped with cashew cream

A Dump & Bake Casserole for Cozy Days

This casserole is the perfect cozy meal for chilly weather days! Seasonal produce like creamy butternut squash, crunchy kale, hearty brown rice, and buttery cannellini beans get drizzled with a savory Rosemary Garlic Cashew Cream for the ultimate comfort dish. The creamy cashew sauce with rosemary and garlic packs a punch of rich umami flavor that really helps bring all of the elements of this recipe together. 

What You Need for Butternut Squash & Brown Rice Casserole

You know the deal with my favorite dump & bake recipes–you just dump all of the ingredients into a dish, bake, and you’re ready to enjoy! This dump & bake butternut squash casserole is a fuss-free dish made with budget-friendly ingredients that you can easily find at your local grocery store.

ingredients for butternut squash casserole on kitchen counter

Butternut squash, rice, beans, greens, broth, and lots of yummy fall seasonings get baked to perfection and drizzled with a homemade herby cashew cream. Don’t worry though, the savory cashew sauce is a breeze to make; it comes together with only 6 ingredients in just 10 minutes. Cashews, rosemary, thyme, nutritional yeast, lemon, and garlic make an umami-packed cashew cream that’s optional for this recipe, but highly suggested! 😊

How to Make Butternut Squash & Brown Rice Casserole

butternut squash casserole before and after baking
  1. Mix the veggie broth, rosemary, thyme, garlic, paprika, and pepper in a pot and bring to a boil
  2. Place the squash, shallots, and beans in a casserole dish and spread the brown rice evenly over everything.
  3. Pour the hot broth mixture over the casserole dish, cover, and bake
  4. Uncover, mix in the kale, and let sit. Drizzle with rosemary garlic cashew cream. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, if desired. Enjoy!

Substitutions and Variations

Want to switch things up? Try these yummy casserole variations: 

  • Greens: You can replace the kale in this recipe with baby spinach for a more tender green! 
  • Beans: Swap the creamy white beans in this dish for more hearty garbanzo beans (or any bean of your choosing!).
  • Grains: You can successfully replace the brown rice in this recipe with two different modifications–
    • White rice: Use equal parts white rice and reduce the oven temperature to 375. Bake for 45 minutes instead of 60. 
    • Quinoa: Use equal parts quinoa and reduce the oven temperature to 375. Bake for 35 minutes instead of 60.

cooked butternut squash casserole topped with rosemary garlic cashew cream

Serving Suggestions

This veggie-packed casserole is hearty enough to stand on its own without any side dishes, but it would also be delicious alongside a salad like this cool weather Kale Apple Walnut Salad with Cider Dressing, or this Winter Kale Salad with Pomegranate Vinaigrette. Serve this cozy casserole for weeknight dinners or make it for holiday parties with friends and family. 😊

This butternut squash casserole recipe is great for easy meal prep–just store it in the fridge for up to 5 days and reheat it over the stove or in the microwave when you’re ready to enjoy. You can also store this dish in a tightly sealed container in the freezer for up to two months for quick and easy meals you can heat up and enjoy anytime!

If you’re looking for more of my favorite dump & bake recipes, you’ll love this Baked Vegan Pumpkin Mac & Cheese, this No-Boil Baked Vegan Mushroom Stroganoff, and this Buffalo Cauliflower & Chickpea Casserole!  

butternut squash casserole before and after baking

Recipe FAQs

What’s the best way to soften butternut squash?

From my experience, the best way to get a creamy squash that melts in your mouth with each bite is to bake it in the oven. Whether it be roasting it or baking it into a casserole like this one, the oven helps bring out the best caramelized flavor and creamy texture in the butternut squash.

Do you need to peel butternut squash?

Technically you don’t have to, but I personally prefer to peel the thin skin to make it more creamy and easy to chew. 

How do you keep squash casserole from getting watery?

This recipe uses dry rice and the perfect amount of vegetable broth so everything gets absorbed by the end, leaving you with the perfect casserole texture. 

Is this recipe good for meal prep?

Yes! This recipe is great for making ahead of time, plus you can divide it into portions and freeze it for up to 2 months. 

Enjoy! If you make this recipe and decide to share it on Facebook or Instagram, don’t forget to tag me @FromMyBowl + #FromMyBowl! I would also love it if you could leave a comment below with a recipe rating! Thank you for the support 😊

butternut squash rice casserole topped with cashew cream

Butternut Squash & Brown Rice Casserole (Dump & Bake)

5 from 23 votes
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings 6 people
This Butternut Squash & Brown Rice Casserole is packed with nutritious seasonal veggies, hearty brown rice, and protein-rich white beans for a well-balanced vegan meal!

Ingredients
 
 

Instructions

  • Prep: Preheat the oven to 400F and set a 9×13" casserole dish aside. Mix the vegetable broth, rosemary, thyme, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and black pepper together medium pot; cover and bring to a boil over high heat.
  • Assemble: Add the squash, shallots, and beans to the casserole dish. Sprinkle the brown rice evenly over the top of the dish.
  • Bake: Remove the broth from the heat once it comes to a boil and pour the liquid evenly over the casserole dish; mix gently and make sure all of the rice is submerged. Cover the casserole with aluminum foil (or parchment paper, followed by aluminum foil) and bake in the middle rack of the oven for 60 minutes.
  • Serve: Remove from the oven, uncover, and mix in the shredded kale. Let the casserole sit for 3 to 5 minutes, to cook the kale. Serve warm with rosemary garlic cashew cream, or as desired. Refrigerate leftovers in a sealed container for up to one week, or in the freezer for up to one month.

Recipe Notes

  • White Rice: if you would like to make this with white rice, use 1 cup of uncooked rice and bake at 375F for only 45 minutes
  • Quinoa: to make this with quinoa, use 1 cup dry quinoa and bake at 375F for 35 minutes.

Nutrition

Calories: 220kcalCarbohydrates: 48gProtein: 8gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0.2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.4gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.3gSodium: 181mgPotassium: 391mgFiber: 7gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 8065IUVitamin C: 21mgCalcium: 112mgIron: 3mg
Keyword: butternut squash casserole
Course: Main
Method: Oven, Stovetop
Cuisine: American
Diet: Gluten Free, Low Fat, Vegan, Vegetarian

About the Author

Hey there, I’m Caitlin! I make easy-to-follow, wholesome, and budget-friendly vegan recipes that are mostly gluten-free and refined sugar-free. I’m also an avid yogi, love the great outdoors, am chocolate-obsessed, and enjoy eating almond butter straight off of the spoon.

Learn More

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Comments

  1. 5 stars
    This recipe is AMAZING!!! You MUST make the garlic cream to go with. It is perfect for fall and to feed a family. I am obsessed!!!!

  2. Yum! Made this tonight and it was great. Thank you so much for making it “dump and bake.” So much easier than with all the prep steps. Added cranberries as I would with the “long” version with all the prep. It was exceedingly yummy! Will definitely try some of your other dump and bake recipes.

  3. 5 stars
    I’m making this for my work carry-in Christmas party and I plan to use white basmati rice. Do you think the measurements/temperatures/cook times would need to be adjusted at all? Thanks for all you do for us foodies Caitlin <3

    1. Hi Bethany. You can use equal parts white rice and reduce the oven temperature to 375. Bake for 45 minutes instead of 60.

  4. 5 stars
    I made this recipe with sweet potato and frozen spinach and it was amazing! I had to bake for about 20 minutes longer but I think this is my old oven, not the recipe.

  5. 5 stars
    This recipe is so easy, amazingly delicious and wholesome! Really recommend this recipe to everyone. My family said it was one of the best things I’ve had in a while. The rosemary cashew cream sauce is delicious and a must for this recipe (the sauce is super easy and quick to make).

      1. 5 stars
        Yum! Made this tonight and it was great. Thank you so much for making it “dump and bake.” So much easier than with all the prep steps. Added cranberries as I would with the “long” version with all the prep. It was exceedingly yummy! Will definitely try some of your other dump and bake recipes.

  6. 5 stars
    So simple and so delicious! Definitely add the cashew cream sauce as it makes it more delicious! I used a small onion bc I don’t have shallots and I used white kidney beans and chickpeas and cooked it for 65 minutes! Turned out great. Oh and its also delicious on toast!!! You nailed it, Caitlin!

  7. Just want to let you know that there is an error in the recipe – 2 1/4 cups is not equal to 234 mL, it is more like 532 mL. I just tried to make the recipe using this measurement because I use metric units usually and the rice did not cook at all so I realised there was not enough water.

      1. 5 stars
        The flavors in this dish are phenomenal! Ultimate fall comfort food! The rosemary garlic cream is absolutely necessary in my opinion. Thanks for another amazing recipe. They’re always spot on.

  8. 5 stars
    I love Caitlin’s dump and bake recipes. I had some butternut squash in the fridge I needed to use up, so I made this recipe with quinoa and it turned out amazingly more delicious than I thought it’d be. I’m looking forward to eating this for my lunches the next few days. I even forgot the shallots but it was still wonderful. It’s creamy, nutritional and so easy. A great fall go to recipe!

  9. Tried this and loved it! One note: in the recipe it lists the ml for the broth as 234 when in reality it’s 532. Luckily I caught it just in time, but it would be helpful to update for people in countries that don’t use cups 🙂

  10. Question, since the numbers don’t match… does this need 2.25 cups of vegetable stock, or two quarter cups? The ml equivalent works to be the latter, but I assume the former is actually right (that’s how I’m going to make it, at least!). 2.25 cups would be about 540 ml. Thanks!

  11. I did this recipe with white basmati rice at 375 for 45 minutes, and the rice were severely uncooked. So, I ran the oven for another 25mins at 400F and it did a good job. Very delicious and very easy. Thank you!

  12. What specific type of brown rice did you use in this recipe( long grain, medium grain,etc)? I know from the information about the ingredients, this can be flexible but not sure how to get the timing right. Thanks! Happy to say, we love your recipes especially the dump and bake. Makes for good leftovers as well. Happy Fall to you.

    1. Medium grain brown rice works, Melissa! We’re so glad you love our dump and bake recipes. Happy Fall to you as well. ♥

  13. 5 stars
    This was delicious! I quadrupled it and fed my vegan team at work (I’m a corporate chef) and even the omnivore colleagues came by for a taste. I then made it again the next night at home to feed my family. We love butternut squash and this was so easy.
    Thank you for a wonderful recipe!

    1. That’s awesome, Eva! Thank you for serving this to everyone. We’re so happy to hear everyone loved it!

    2. 5 stars
      This was a fantastic fall casserole. My entire family raved about the flavors. I will definitely make it again!

  14. 5 stars
    Absolutely delicious!! Made this tonight with the Rosemary Cashew Cream and WOW! It’s like Fall in a bowl. Can’t wait to make this again to bring to Thanksgiving! 😋

  15. 5 stars
    This was my first “dump recipe” be sure to
    Make the cream sauce with it. Really elevated the flavor, I also used wild rice (what i had on hand) and cooked it for 60 minutes, turned out perfect. I’m going to try the dump chickpea pasta dish later this week!

    1. 5 stars
      Made this for dinner today and it was absolutely delicious!!! I initially wasn’t planning on making the cashew cream but at the last minute decided to. And I am so glad I did. It definitely took this recipe to the next level. Smelled amazing while baking as well.

  16. 5 stars
    I bought a butternut squash earlier this week and didn’t know what to make and then saw this on tiktok! It is delicious! Thank you 🙂

  17. Hi! Do you think this would work with quinoa? If so, what do you think the measurements of quinoa and water would be? Thanks so much, and thanks for all you do! I love your recipes!

    1. Hello, yes! Use the same amount of quinoa and bake at 375F for 35 minutes. I will add this to the recipe notes as well.

      1. 5 stars
        First time “Dumping and Baking” here. This is genius! What a tasty recipe, a wonderful combo of fall starches. I used arugula for the greens, since that was in my fridge needing to be eaten. Made the sauce, too. It really gives it that sumthin’-sumthin’. Sadly, I have a family of rosemary haters (nay, detesters), so I left it out of the casserole and the sauce. Was told “please, make this again!” WIN!
        I will try more of these dump and bake creations.
        Thank you, Caitlin!