Butternut Squash Gratin
In my continuing quest to use all the winter squash provided by my CSA, I stumbled across a recipe that didn’t sound half bad. With a few tweaks, it would do the trick quite nicely.
It’s a well known principle in our family that to get the kids to eat something, just cover it in cheese. This dish turned out so well that I could see it at our Thanksgiving table easily. It was sweet and savory, gooey and melty, and had just the right “punch” from the rosemary. I served it with salmon and kale. It did take a two-step cooking process, something I’m for the most part against for daily cooking, but the end product was very much worth the trouble.
Butternut Squash Gratin
2 tablespoons coconut oil, plus extra for casserole prep
1 tablespoon pastured butter
1 small yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 two-pound butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1/2 inch chunks
1 teaspoon real maple syrup
1 cup chicken broth
8 ounces each shredded Havarti and extra-sharp Cheddar
2 bread heels, whirred in blender to crumb
1 tablespoon stripped and chopped fresh thyme
1 tablespoon stripped and chopped fresh rosemary
Preheat oven to 350° and rub a 9×13″ casserole dish with coconut oil. Melt butter and coconut oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in the onions and cook until they caramelize. Really take your time here and let them develop a light brown (they will continue to caramelize in the next step). This took me about 13 minutes. Add the squash and cook about 8 minutes until it is browned on the outside but still pretty firm in the center. Add minced garlic and maple syrup and cook, stirring, 2 minutes more. Put squash mixture into prepared baking dish. Pour chicken broth over squash and bake, covered for 40-45 minutes.
Stir together the breadcrumbs, chopped herbs and two cheeses. Cover the squash evenly with this mixture and return to the oven, uncovered this time, for about 15 minutes, or until topping is very lightly browned. This made 10 very generous servings.
This post is part of Twister Tuesday, hosted by Gnowfglins, the Make it From Scratch carnival and Real Food Wednesdays, hosted this week by Cheeseslave.
5 comments
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November 3, 2009 at 11:47 am
Millie
Your kids sound like mine. Can’t go wrong with cheese! Great sounding gratin.
November 3, 2009 at 1:58 pm
Wardeh @ GNOWFGLINS
Peggy, ha, ha, you make me laugh! Cover it in cheese! I guess I’d agree – that works around here, too. Especially with zucchini. I used to hate zucchini growing up so it is hard for me to fault my kids now that they hate it, too.
Thanks for sharing this dish in the Twister. It really does look good.
November 3, 2009 at 2:42 pm
emily
mmm, yummy! i must be a freaky foodie but I love squash,all ways, sweet or savory, and have since I was a girl and my mom served it with butter and maple syrup!
November 3, 2009 at 8:45 pm
Ren
Very creative! Looks and sounds pretty swell too!
November 4, 2009 at 9:12 am
Melissa @the Cellulite Investigation
My farming brother runs into this dilemma every year with his CSA. He always has so much squash but doesn’t want to overload his customers. So instead, he has (almost) literally MOUNTAINS of squash in his walk-in cooler. It’s an incredible sight. I’m going to forward him this recipe. Thanks for sharing it with us!