Butternut is one of my favorite squashes. We often bake a small butternut squash (about 1 pound) at home; we split it lengthwise, seed it, score the flesh with a knife, sprinkle on a little salt, and bake, skin side down, for 1 hour in a 400-degree oven. Excellent in soup and pureed, butternut squash is always welcome at our table. This gratin is quite rich and should be reserved for special occasions, like Thanksgiving.
Ingredients
Makes 6 servings
Step 1
Cut off and discard the stem of the squash, then cut the squash into two pieces by cutting through it horizontally at the bottom of the neck. This will make it easier to peel.
Step 2
Peel the cylindrical neck lengthwise, removing enough skin so that the orange flesh underneath is revealed. (Under the outer skin there is a layer of green, which should be removed.) Peel the round part of the squash by cutting around it in a spiral fashion with a sharp knife; it is easier to peel a round object in this manner.
Step 3
Cut the rounded part in half lengthwise, and, using a spoon, scoop out the seeds. Then cut the squash into 1/8-to-1/4-inch slices, either with a knife or in a food processor fitted with the slicing blade.
Step 4
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the squash slices in a large saucepan, cover them with water, and bring to a boil. Boil over high heat for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, then drain in a colander. The pieces will break a little in cooking. Arrange pieces in a gratin dish, and sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Pour on the cream, and stir gently with a fork to distribute the additions properly. Cover with the cheese, and bake for about 30 minutes.
Step 5
At serving time, brown the top of the gratin by heating it under a hot broiler for 4 to 5 minutes. Serve immediately.
Leave a Review
Reviews (37)
Back to TopTo add to my just-written review: I also added nutmeg!
Anonymous
Toronto
12/7/2014
Like others, I alter and add to the recipe, so I'm giving it 3 forks. I reduce the cream to 1 cup, which is plenty. I add to it: 1 large garlic clove, thinly sliced; about 1 tbsp of dried sage, crumbled; some small sprigs of thyme; and black pepper. Simmer that for 5-10 minutes, so that the herbs and garlic infuse the cream. I also spread the squash in the gratin dish in 2 layers. Sprinkle cheese and pour the cream mixture over each layer. (You can remove the garlic at this point.)The cheese was also doubled --so, 3 tbps for each layer. It was very flavourful and delicious. This will be a go-to company and celebration dish for us this winter. I might test it out on us alone with lower fat cream, to see if it that can work & make it less rich.
Anonymous
Toronto, ON, Canada
12/7/2014
Made this gratin tonight and both my husband and I thought it was terrific. I sliced the squash using my food processor so I had nice, thin slices to work with. I layered extra cheese in with the squash, used less cream, and also added chives and nutmeg. Next time, I'll use a cheese with stronger flavor and add even more with my layers. Still, it was a winner paired with pork chops.
erin_dake
San Jose, CA
5/19/2014
I made this recipe last night and let me say how wonderfully simple and delicious the gratin turned out to be. I did make one small addition I added some chopped fresh rosemary to the cream as I tossed it with the squash. So delicious. Something this easy is sure to be a regular player in my kitchen come squash time.
zineboy
Chicago, IL
12/10/2011
Tasted great, but a little too creamy for my taste.
alisadiomin
San Diego
12/22/2010
My comments echo (some)things below: Do yourself a favor and get peeled squash. Add some kind of herb or spice, I used Bell's seasoning (a little) and thyme. Oh, and this is definitely what I would term a "chef's recipe", that is, a lot of things are left out that an experienced could would do. In other words, I defy you to cook the recipe as written and make it turn into anything good. So, here are some hints: do the initial squash cooking longer and heat the cream before adding it to the squash. It still takes more like an hour than a 30 minutes.
scough
La Quinta, CA
11/1/2010
I made this recipe as part of a meal for a date and i all i can say is that it was even better than i thought it would be! I didn't have enough butternut squash so i mixed butternut in with acorn and found that the butternut was def. better for this recipe. outside of that it was great. will make it again!!
F9foodie
Dayton, OH
5/2/2010
感恩节和真delicious! I used Parmagiano Reggiano and it added great flavor. I did make some tweaks to the recipe that I would recommend - I skipped the boiling step and just sliced the squash thin (1/8 inch) and cooked it longer until tender. Also, I cooked fresh sage in butter and added it along with nutmeg within the layers. It was really wonderful and even guests that weren't squash fans really loved the dish.
bex
NY, NY
11/26/2009
I loved the simplicity of this dish. However, I did substitute parmesan for gruyere cheese, which has a more nutty flavour. I also layered it in with the squash. I needed only a fraction of the cream this dish called for. Nutmeg would definitely have made a nice addition.
smulholland
Toronto, Canada
11/8/2009
This was so not worth the effort. Took way too long and tasted like plain unflavored butternut squash. Definitely won't make again.
marniewhite
2/9/2009
I've made this several times with only one modification; I add a little freshly grated nutmeg. I've tried using lo-fat evaporated milk to cut down on the fat, but it turned out pretty awful. I stick to the recipe as written (with the nutmeg addition) and it gets rave reviews every time. Great for special occasions.
Anonymous
San Diego
12/25/2008
This is wonderful. Do take the advice to use pecorino romano, more than 3T, and add fresh sage. I also found that 3/4 c of cream was plenty.
danajill
Denver
11/15/2007
Made for Thanksgiving and it was very popular. Cut back on the cream, used pre-peeled squash from Trader Joe's, and added sage. Tasty tasty!
Anonymous
Cold Spring, NY
9/29/2006
I gave this recipe a lower rating as it was 'blah' according to my husband's comment. I must agree,'very bland'. I rated it with two forks, as I believe with some changes the recipe may be improved on. First reduce the amount of cream, to 3/4 cup. There was just to much liquid. I will definitely add more parmesan cheese as well (maybe 1/2 cup). And finally I did add sage, but apparently not enough. So I would add at least 1 tsp dried sage (2 tbsp fresh chopped sage). I will give this recipe another try with the changes to see if it will give this dish some umph.
Anonymous
Expat in the Netherlands
3/13/2006
Very easy to make and everyone loved it! Just need to cut down on the heavy cream, there was too much liquid.
Anonymous
NYC
12/30/2005
