Butternut Squash Gratin Recipe

It has been bitter cold the past few days here in Colorado and whenever the temps dip and snow begins to fall, I get an urge to cook and bake up a storm!  I had chicken and potatoes planned for the night, and was looking to mix up our rather boring side dish rotation.  My kids are super picky and are never thrilled about eating any veggies outside of corn, broccoli, and occasionally carrots.  So when it comes to veggies I’m always looking for different ways to cook them in hopes that I can happily introduce more veggies into our rotation each week without having to bribe them to try a green bean or squash…gasp!

As I was scowering Pinterest that afternoon my sister called.  When asked what I was doing she proceeded to tell me about this awesome butternut squash recipe she had made the other night, and I decided to try it.  What I loved about this recipe is that it was warm and comforting without all the extra fat and calories that most comfort foods have, and it was easy to make!  Below is the recipe, and I hope your family will love it as much as mine did!

Author : Skinnytaste                                                                                                        Yield: 6 servings; Serving Size: 1/6th

Ingredients:

2 pound (1 medium) butternut squash, peeled

1/2 cup 2% reduced fat milk

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 small shallot, minced

1 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme

1/3 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese

3/4 tsp kosher salt, divided

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Cooking spray

2 Tbsp unsalted butter

1/2 cup whole wheat or gluten-free panko

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Slice butternut squash into 1/4 inch thick slices.  You can do this with a knife or a spiralizer.
3. In a large bowl, combine the milk, garlic, shallot, thyme, 1/2 of the Parmesan, 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper.  Add the squash and toss to coat.  Spray a medium oven-safe casserole dish with cooking spray.  Transfer squash mixture to casserole dish and set aside.
4. In a medium microwave safe bow, melt butter.  Add breadcrumbs, remaining parmesan, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper.  Evenly spread breadcrumb mixture over squash, cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes.  Uncover and broil 2-3 minutes to brown top (watch carefully because it browns quickly).