You’ll find great locally grown bell peppers, tomatillos, cherry tomatoes, and summer squash at New Mexico farmers’ markets. If you’re lucky, you may even find locally grown quinoa and feta cheese. As this layered slow-cooker squash casserole recipe cooks, the liquid from the tangy tomatillo salsa and summer squash is absorbed by the quinoa, adding tons of flavor to the final dish.
Makes: 10 servings (about 3/4 cup each)
Active Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 4 hours on Low
Ingredients
12 ounces tomatillos, husked, rinsed and chopped
1 pint cherry tomatoes, chopped
1 poblano or bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped white onion
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup quinoa
1 cup crumbled cotija or feta cheese, divided
2 pounds small yellow summer squash, cut into 1/4-inch slices
2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
Combine tomatillos, tomatoes, pepper, onion, lime juice and salt in a medium bowl. Coat a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. Layer quinoa, 1/3-cup cheese and all of the squash in the slow cooker. Top with another 1/3-cup cheese. Spread the tomatillo mixture on top, but don’t stir the ingredients together. (Refrigerate the remaining cheese to use for the topping.) Cover and cook on Low for 4 hours. Serve sprinkled with oregano and the remaining 1/3-cup cheese.
Recipe adapted from: Eating Well magazine, May/June 2014
