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Almond Parmesan Squash

I know I said in my last recipe post that the next one would be the Bacon and Leek Bake (which, so you can start to get all worked up, is just about my favorite invention of all time), but there’s been overnight developments and I have breaking news to share:  Everyone wants squash.  Specifically, Almond Parmesan Squash.

Between yesterday and this morning I’ve had a bajillion requests for this recipe after posting a photo of it on Facebook.  I also had an immediate request for the recipe from Farmer Becky & The Big Guy, who were sitting at my kitchen table eating it with me.  Consequently I am messin’ with my carefully crafted posting schedule to bring you a dish of vegetables that may well blow your taste buds mind.

Almond Parmesan Squash

Here’s their version of last night’s squash eating episode:

“O.M.G. BEST squash EVER!!!!” – Farmer Becky

“If I’d not known I was eating squash, I’d have thought I were eating a starch, like potatoes, but oh SO much better!” – The Big Guy

I’ve never had squash that tasted this good.  I had no idea that squash could taste this good.  I almost didn’t make this dish because I didn’t have any hope that squash could be a show-stealer.  I was so {happily} wrong.

Squash

I’ve always eaten squash type veggies, though secretly I never thought they were very exciting.  Except when my mother used to make Baked Marrow.  That was exciting squash.  A marrow, for the uninitiated, is a heavily striped zucchini on steroids.  My mother would slice a marrow in half lengthwise, scoop all the seeds out and fill the hollowed out centre with a hamburger mixture (mince) and bake it in the oven.  One marrow would feed 4 of us.  I used to love it when we had Baked Marrow for dinner.  I have yet to find marrow in the US, but I’ll definitely be reliving that particular childhood meal if I do.  My version of it anyway.

Aside from Baked Marrow, we didn’t eat a lot of squash.  When I left England 11 16 almost 18 years ago, squashes other than marrows and courgettes (zucchini) were just starting to make an appearance.  When I arrived in the US I found a dazzling array of them in all different shapes, sizes and colors.  After Friday’s run-in with my first yellow squash & causing a near riot in my kitchen, not to mention my mouth, I’ll be paying the humble squash family a whole lot more attention in future.

Who knew squash was the new potato?

 

Almond Parmesan Squash

Author: Carrie Brown | Prep time:  5 mins   |   Cook time:  20 mins    |   Total time:  25 mins   |   Serves: 4

What You Need

  • 2 TBSP butter
  • 12 oz. / 340g onion, chopped
  • 1 lb. / 450g zucchini (courgette), cut into ¼ inch thick slices
  • 1 lb. / 450g yellow squash, cut into ¼ inch thick slices
  • Sea salt
  • Ground black pepper
  • ¾ cup / 6 fl oz. heavy (double) cream
  • 2 oz. / 55g almond meal (NOT ground almonds / almond flour) + extra for topping
  • 2 oz. / 55g grated Parmesan cheese + extra for topping

What You Do

  1. Melt butter in a large skillet.
  2. Add onions, zucchini and squash slices. Season with sea salt and black pepper and cook, turning occasionally. After 5 minutes the vegetables will be crisp-tender.
  3. Pour the cream over the vegetables and cook until thickened, about 5 minutes.
  4. Remove skillet from heat and gently stir in the almond meal.
  5. Once the almond meal is fully mixed into the cream, stir in the grated Parmesan.
  6. Spoon the almond vegetable mixture into a baking dish.
  7. Sprinkle extra almond meal and Parmesan over the top of the vegetables.
  8. Bake for 10 minutes at 450F until the top is golden brown.

 

Top Recipe Tips

  • For dairy-free replace the cream with thick coconut milk (canned) and omit the Parmesan.  For extra flavor stir ½ oz. / 15g nutritional yeast into the almond mixture instead of the Parmesan.

 

Helpful Cooking and Recipe Links

 

Podcast Episodes

 

Almond Parmesan Squash

 

 

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  • Justin "The BIG Guy"I will not be the BIG guy for long eating amazing meals like this one!ReplyCancel

  • MinI give up…what is almond meal? And how would one make it?ReplyCancel

    • carrieAlmond meal is very finely ground almonds (with the skins left on) as opposed to almond flour which is finely ground almonds without the skin. You can buy it in bags in the grocery store or you can grind your own in a food processor. Hope that helps!ReplyCancel

  • AlisenSince you posted the pictures and recipe of this I have been anxious to make this for my family. It was a hit with the kids and adults. It was met with reluctance at first by my five year old (squash is not her favorite). I reminded her that we are food adventurers (we try everything once), and trying it was a prerequisite to pudding later. She ate it all, and adults went for seconds. Thanks Carrie!ReplyCancel

    • carrieLOVE this, Alisen! Thanks for stopping by. Let us know how others go as you try them!ReplyCancel

  • DrTuskMade this for dinner tonight, OMG it was absolutely amazing. I ground up some almonds in my BlendTec, as I didn’t find almond meal at the store.ReplyCancel

  • carrieDrTusk – SO glad you loved this! Great job on the almond grinding! I wonder if it was cheaper too? THANKS for the feedback – truly helpful!ReplyCancel

  • Farmer BeckyBEST squash ever!! The almond meal makes for a wonderful flavor and topping. Another weekly staple on our kitchen table! Quick, easy and filling = love!ReplyCancel

  • Kerry DarlowThank you for posting this recipe. I made it last week and it was the most delicious veggie recipe I have ever tasted. I had it with chicken that I had stuffed with green beans and wrapped in parma ham. Yummy!ReplyCancel

    • carrieThanks, Kerry! Makes me so happy that you found something that you love that is also helping you get SANE!! That chicken sounds awesome too :-)ReplyCancel

  • MarcieCarrie, I didn’t have any zucchini in house but I did have a head of fennel. Followed the recipe but sautéd the thinly sliced fennel with the onion, then added the cream and almond and parma. Fabulous!!!

    Thanks for all your work. I LOVE this site!!!ReplyCancel

    • carrieI LOVE it, Marcie!!!! THANK YOU so much for your support and kind words. Please share with anyone who you think would benefit from the science and recipes!ReplyCancel

  • Salmon with Orange and Fennel » Carrie Brown | Marmalade and Mileposts[…] was last week’s Friday Night Dinner.  It’s the entrée I served up with the Almond Parmesan Squash that took my little corner of the blogiverse by storm.  People were pinning that puppy all over […]ReplyCancel

  • Bacon and Leek Bake » Carrie Brown | Marmalade and Mileposts[…] my intention.  How did I know that the whole world would go mad for squash?  Specifically my Almond Parmesan Squash.  So I blame the squash for the temporary diversion away from a hot, sizzling dish of Bacon and […]ReplyCancel

  • LizWow! This will become a supper favourite- my husband loved it saying ‘How can people not like vegetables when they are as good as this?’ And this is someone with a violent dislike to squash or sweet potato of any type.
    I loved the way the almond meal thickened the sauce. I used a bit of sage, leek and replaced cream (didn’t have any) with stock.
    sprinkled sunflower and pumpkin seeds on top to compensate for protein loss.ReplyCancel

    • carrieLOVE this, Liz!!!! The seeds don’t really add much to the protein content, but they would make a delicious topping!ReplyCancel

  • PriscillaAMAZING!!! Made this for dinner tonite and it was delicious! This is recipe #3 of yours that I’ve tried (#1 was the orange creamsicle smoothie, #2 was the cold strawberry cereal) and I WILL keep coming back for more! Thanks for posting these!ReplyCancel

    • carrieThanks for the recipe love, Priscilla!! So happy that you love them.ReplyCancel

  • BarbraThanks for this fabulous recipe Carrie!! I made it for Easter and it was a hit with the whole family…my teenaged niece asked me to leave the leftovers for her! I will definitely be making this one again. I added a bit of fresh garlic to the onion mixture. I love your recipes and look forward to your awesome personality in the podcasts :)ReplyCancel

  • SharonCarrie, I know you have received MANY rave reviews regarding this recipe. Not only did I want to add my own rave review and send you some love for creating such deliciousness that my family and I enjoy, but also to let you know that at the request of my hubbie I added my own twist; chopped jalapeños. It added a nice punch for those occasions when a punch is needed. ;)ReplyCancel

    • carrieOi, Sharon! I’m not a “hot stuff” girl, but glad you found something to make it even more loved by your family!ReplyCancel

  • TracyCan this be made with jarred Parmesan cheese or should if be fresh grated?ReplyCancel

  • TracyI had this tonight and it was wonderful. A Lillie high on carbs for me so will have to go easy on it. My husband said we are going to have to have that often. D you ever had the nutrional values to your recipes?ReplyCancel

  • KatieAmazing!!! So good!! Tastes creamy and cheesy!! So so good!!ReplyCancel

  • PipThis is delicious! I always though zucchini and squash were too boring to bother with but this is wonderful. I will never miss potatoes done like this.ReplyCancel

    • carriePip – this is one of my most popular recipes. So glad that you love it!ReplyCancel

  • SuzanneJust made this tonight for the first time. SO delicious! We will be making double batches of this in the future – such rich flavors with relatively simple ingredients.ReplyCancel

  • DarciCarrie,
    I just found you a few weeks ago after listening to The Smarter Science of Slim podcast! Looking forward to getting your new book. I made this squash dish tonight for the first time for my family. It was amazing and will be a frequent dish on our table! Thank you!ReplyCancel

    • carrieWelcome, Darci! So happy to have you here! Thanks for the squash love :-)ReplyCancel

  • Chas S.This recipe was phenomenal! I’ve made it maybe 10 times in the last 3 months. My only issue with it is that the fat content is a little unbalanced. The notes say that using “a little cream” and “cheese, in moderation”, don’t make it insane, but according to my rough calculations the dish has over 120 grams of fat for something like 40 grams of carbs. 60 to 66 grams of fat come from the cream alone, so they aren’t healthy fats. I eat maybe 1/4 of the dish at a time, so that translates to over 30 grams of fat from one part of one meal. That doesn’t look like moderation to me. I found the dish to be just as delicious with 1/2 cup of half-and-half instead of 3/4 cup of heavy cream. This reduced the fat content of the dish by something like 50 grams, while keeping the carbs and protein levels about the same. It still tastes great, and it’s still filling. Seems like a great trade-off to me.

    I did try other combinations like 1/3 cup cream + 1/3 cup milk, but the milk adds more sugars and the half+half worked just as well.ReplyCancel

    • carrieHi Chas, Thanks for stopping by and thank you for the recipe love!!

      Please remember that this dish does not constitute a meal on its own. Bear in mind when doing your calculations that in an ideal world you are adding this as a side to, for example, a piece of grilled salmon or lean chicken breast, and a large green salad. You need to look at recipes as part of a complete meal, not as stand-alone items. Nothing is SANE in isolation.

      JB and I do not consider heavy cream to be an unhealthy fat. Remember that if you whipped it long enough you would get butter, and we recommend using butter as a healthy fat.

      Hope that helps!ReplyCancel

  • MaureenThis is the first Carrie Brown recipe I tried. It was sooo good and filling. True comfort food. I was glad I put enough of it away so I could have it again for lunch today with a chicken breast. The almond cream sauce tasted good with the chicken too. Just as good the second day. Yum.ReplyCancel

  • SuzanneThis has become a staple for me. This week, thought I’d change it up a bit – tried it with spiralized squash (made 1 cut lengthwise, for ‘c’ shapes) and used coconut milk instead of heavy cream. Also added a little garlic and onion powder in case the coconut milk made the dish sweeter than I wanted. It was so delicious!ReplyCancel

  • GayeYum, cream makes everything better. I now make this regularly and when I’m in a hurry I just cook it up on the stove-top and forgo the browning. Great either way! Thanks Carrie (and congrats on your fat burning success!)ReplyCancel

  • StaciI’m new to SANE (within the last two weeks). I started doing it and lost 6 pounds in less than a week. I made this for my husband, toddler, and I the other night and have to say it was a HUGE hit. It’s been added to what will be one of our favorite summer sides & meals. Thank you! I’m looking forward to making the chocolate espresso cookies later this week and am simply awaiting the delivery of xylitol!ReplyCancel

  • Kim RadcliffeThis dish was delicious with my air-fried chops tonight. This is the second time I’ve made it and this time I reduced the sautéing time in half. When it came out of the oven it was perfect. This is the best yummy accompaniment to any meat! Thanks for a keeper!ReplyCancel