Recipe: Butternut Squash Gratin

Yield: 8 servings, about 1 cup each

Servings: 8

Serving Size: about 1 cup

Active Time: 50 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Total Time (mins): 60

To Make Ahead: Roast squash (Step 2) up to 30 minutes ahead. Prepare the sauce (Step 3), cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day; gently reheat until steaming before combining with the squash.

Recipe Description:

Roasted butternut squash slices layered with a creamy sauce and topped with golden breadcrumbs makes a hassle-free side dish that just about everyone loves. Our healthier version skips the heavy cream and butter found in most recipes—saving about 160 calories and 12 grams of saturated fat compared to a traditional version.

Recipe Ingredients:

• 1 large butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices (about 8 cups)
• 2-3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon white or black pepper
• 2 1/2 cups low-fat milk
• 1 1/2 cups fresh whole-wheat breadcrumbs or 1/2 cup shredded or crumbled cheese

Recipe Steps:

1. Position racks in upper and lower third of oven; preheat to 425°F.
2. Toss squash in a large bowl with 1 tablespoon oil until well coated. Divide between 2 baking sheets and spread in an even layer. Roast, stirring once and rotating the pans top to bottom about halfway through, until tender and beginning to brown, 20 to 25 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently, until very soft and golden brown, 5 to 8 minutes. Add flour, salt and pepper; cook, stirring, for 1 minute more. Add milk and continue to stir, scraping up any browned bits. Cook, stirring, until the sauce bubbles and thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 4 minutes. Remove from the heat.
4. When the squash is done, remove from the oven. Preheat the broiler.
5. Transfer half the squash to a 2-quart, broiler-safe baking dish. Spread half the sauce over the squash. Add the remaining squash and top with the remaining sauce.
6. Combine breadcrumbs and the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a small bowl (skip this step if you are topping with cheese).
7. Sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture (or cheese) over the gratin. Place under the broiler and broil, watching closely, until the gratin is bubbling and beginning to brown on top, 1 to 5 minutes, depending on your broiler. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Recipe Tips & Notes:

• To make your own fresh breadcrumbs, trim crusts from whole-wheat bread. Tear bread into pieces and process in a food processor until coarse crumbs form. One slice of bread makes about 1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs.
• To add extra flavor to the cream sauce, at the end of Step 3 stir in 1 tablespoon chopped fresh herbs, such as thyme, sage or parsley. Or make it cheesy by stirring in 1/2 cup shredded or crumbled cheese, such as Gruyère, Swiss, Cheddar or blue cheese.

Recipe Nutrition:

Per serving: 169 calories; 6 g fat (1 g sat, 4 g mono); 4 mg cholesterol; 24 g carbohydrate; 0 g added sugars; 7 g total sugars; 5 g protein; 5 g fiber; 307 mg sodium; 502 mg potassium.

Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin A (269% daily value), Vitamin C (32% dv), Calcium (16% dv).

Copyright:

© Meredith Corporation. All rights reserved. Used with permission.