Butternut squash makes a delicious soup, risotto, even ravioli. But this recipe for Butternut Squash Gratin is much easier, and certain to become a family favorite.
October 2007
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Product Reviews / Main Nibbles / Vegetables
Recipe: Butternut Squash Gratin
This May Become One Of Your Favorite Butternut Squash Recipes
This gratin—a French dish topped with cheese and breadcrumbs—is grilled until a golden, crispy crust forms. The gratin is made with squash, a vegetable that’s available year-round (see our Squash Glossary to learn about 30 different types of beautiful squash, which divide into summer squash and winter squash). This recipe uses butternut squash, but you can substitute zucchini and yellow squash in the summer, or any of your favorites.
In fact, gratins are not limited to vegetables. Baked macaroni and cheese is a gratin, as are other baked pasta dishes such as baked ziti. What gratins have in common, in addition to the savory cheese and breadcrumb crust, is:
- A liquid or sauce—cream, milk, béchamel sauce or tomato sauce, for example
- A shallow baking dish—traditionally, a gratin was baked in an oval dish, but you can use any shallow baking dish or pan
- Gratins can also be dishes that are cooked on the stove, then topped with cheese and breadcrumbs and put under the broiler to make the crust
Shredded cheese is necessary for most gratin recipes, and we typically get out our Zyliss cheese grater and shred our own. However, we recently had the opportunity to try Sargento Artisan Blends, a new line of shredded cheeses, and found that they are quite superior to the typical pre-shredded, packaged cheese. |
This red CorningWare gratin dish makes food look even more exciting. |
Also check out Sargento’s Asparagus Crostini recipe—a delightful hors d’oeuvre.
Ingredients
- 1 small butternut squash, about 1½ pounds,
peeled
- 2 large slices thick-cut bacon, cut crosswise into ¼-inch pieces
- 1 medium red onion (8 ounces), cut into
¼-inch pieces
- 2 teaspoons fresh sage, finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme, finely chopped
- ¼ teaspoon coarse salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1¼ cups (5 ounces) shredded Swiss cheese
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- ½ cup (2 ounces) shredded Parmesan cheese
- ½ cup toasted breadcrumbs
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Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF.
- Cut the peeled squash in half lengthwise and remove the seeds. Cut crosswise into ¼-inch thick slices. Set aside.
- In a medium skillet, cook the bacon until brown and crisp. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate.
- Remove all but 1 tablespoon of the bacon fat from the skillet. Add the chopped onions and sauté over medium-high heat until the onions are soft but not brown, 5 to 7 minutes.
- Butter an 8" x 8" baking dish. Distribute half the squash slices in the dish. Sprinkle with half of the sage, thyme, salt and pepper. Arrange half of the onions and half of the bacon over the squash. Repeat to create a second layer, then top with Swiss cheese.
- Pour the cream around the edges of the gratin. Cover loosely with foil and bake for 35 minutes.
 Remove the foil and add the Parmesan cheese. Top with the breadcrumbs. Turn the oven down to 375°F and bake uncovered, 15 to 20 minutes or until the cheeses and breadcrumbs are golden brown. - Transfer to a cooling rack and let stand for 15 minutes before serving.
Recipe and photo © copyright Sargento Cheese. All other material
Lifestyle Direct, Inc. All rights reserved. Images are the copyright of their respective owners.
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