This hearty Three Sisters Casserole is made with corn, beans, and squash, and topped with cornbread biscuits. It makes a great meatless main dish or vegetarian side!

Photography Credit: Megan Gordon

Featured in 11 Casseroles to Double and Freeze

I first heard of Three Sisters Casserole almost twenty years ago, back in the dining hall in my college dorm in Boulder, Colorado. This hearty casserole always made an appearance in the fall: a mélange of seemingly canned veggies with a cornbread topping.

It wasn’t always the most popular thing on the buffet table, but as a vegetarian it became my go-to, and I knew if it were made with better ingredients it could really be a home run.

This year, as I started to think about fall menu planning, the flavors from that Three Sisters Casserole kept coming to mind. I thought, “There has to be a way to make this vegetarian main dish stand out and truly shine . . . ” Translation: no canned veggies!

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WHAT ARE THE “THREE SISTERS”?

If you’ve never heard of the “three sisters,” they were the three predominant crops planted by Native Americans: corn, beans, and squash.

They were called the three sisters because they were planted close to one another—each plant had traits that helped the others grow. The corn proved to be great structure for the beans, the beans provided nitrogen to the soil, and the squash helped prevent weeds by spreading itself along the ground.

THREE SISTERS CASSEROLE FROM SCRATCH

My version takes the Southwest classic further by amping up the spice profile, tossing in a few greens for extra color and nutrition, and adding a rustic cornbread biscuit topping. Fresh veggies makes for a more interesting, toothsome texture!

Also, there’s no shame in buying pre-diced and peeled winter squash if you’re so inclined. It’s usually a little more expensive but saves you time.

Want to make your beans from scratch, too? Here’s how to make them on the stovetop or in the pressure cooker!

How to Make-Ahead or Freeze

Feel free to make the filling in advance. It keeps, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. When you’re ready to bake off the casserole, the topping takes no time to whisk together. You can get the whole thing in the oven and dinner is ready in 30 minutes.

The casserole itself will also keep for 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator, and freezes beautifully, too. To reheat, I let it thaw in the refrigerator overnight and simply warm in a 300°F oven until heated through (or microwave if you’d like).

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