Chayote Cornbread Casserole

A few years ago, my husband and I attended a church potluck, and one of the dishes there was a breaded chayote squash. It was the first time we had ever had chayote, and we loved it. I never knew who brought the dish, so I was on my own to come up with the recipe. I created the following recipe in my attempts to duplicate it, and although this casserole is not the same as what we had that day, it is a wonderful way to use this sweet, tasty, and often overlooked vegetable. It has become a holiday favorite in our home!
Hints: Be sure to slice the chayote very thin. Despite appearances, it is a hard squash and will still be crunchy if not thinly sliced. Also, like most casseroles, this one benefits from sitting for some time to let the flavors combine. It’s even better the next day!

Cornbread:

1/2c flour
1/2c cornmeal
2T sugar
1T baking powder
1/2t salt
1/2c soymilk
2T oil

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In a small bowl, mix the first five ingredients. Add soymilk and oil and stir just until combined. Pour into a greased mini-loaf pan (or 4 cups of a muffin pan). Bake 15-20 minutes (muffins will take less time).  Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Adjust oven to 350 degrees.

NOTE: You can also used store-bought cornbread (you will need about 3 cups crumbled) or a cornbread mix (about half of the finished product) to speed up this step. Also, to save time on the big day, make the cornbread up to two days in advance.

Stuffing:

1 1/2T olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped
3 medium carrots, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
cornbread (recipe above)
4 slices of bread
1 1/3 to 1 1/2c vegetarian chicken broth
salt and pepper to taste

Saute onions in olive oil over med-high heat until translucent and slightly brown, approximately 4 minutes. Add carrots and celery and continue to saute until slighty tender, approximately another 5 minutes. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, crumble cornbread and tear bread into bite-sized pieces. Add onion, carrot, and celery and stir to combine. Pour in 1 cup chicken broth and mix well (it’s easiest if you use your hands). Continue to add broth until all bread is soaked through and ingredients stick together.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Casserole:

2 chayote squash, pitted

Thinly slice chayote into wedges. Cut wedges into 1 inch pieces.

Line the bottom of a greased 8x12 casserole dish with half of the squash pieces.
Top with half of the cornbread mixture (you may have to use your hands to spread around).
Top with remaining squash pieces.
Top with remaining cornbread mixture.

Bake casserole for 45 minutes. Let rest 10-15 minutes before serving.

Serves 6.

cornbread adapted from Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook