If you’re bored with rice or potatoes as a side dish, serve this impressive vegetable strudel instead. (It would be good along with turkey, chicken or pork) The fat in this recipe can be reduced significantly using cooking spray on the phyllo instead of melted butter. The olive oil could be replaced with cooking spray also but I would keep some of it for flavor.
1/4 cup olive oil (see note above)
1 large red bell pepper, cut into 1-1/2 inch strips
1 onion, halved and thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 lbs butternut squash, peeled, cut into large pieces and thinly sliced.
2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons fine dry bread crumbs
6 sheets phyllo pastry
1/3 cup melted butter (see note above)
Heat half the oil in a large non stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add red pepper, onion and garlic and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until tender. Transfer to a bowl. Reduce heat to medium and add remaining oil to skillet. Add squash and cook stirring often for 8-10 minutes or until just tender. Stir in pepper mixture, sage and season with salt and pepper. Place in a bowl and let cool.
Combine Parmesan cheese and breadcrumbs in a bowl. Lightly brush 1 sheet of phyllo with some of the melted butter and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of the crumb mixture. Repeat this with 4 more layers of phyllo. Spoon a 3 inch wide strip of the squash mixture lengthwise down the pastry, 2 inches from the edge. Fold 1 inch of the pastry ends over filling and carefully rollup pastry around filling. Place seam side down on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. This can be assembled up to 4 hours ahead of baking and refrigerated.
Preheat oven to 400F.
Cut 7 diagonal slits in top of pastry. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until pastry is golden. Cut into diagonal slices and serve warm or at room temperature.
Serves 8