Big forkfuls of rich, creamy butternut squash layered with cheese and a scattering of greens — this Cheesy Butternut Gratin is comfort food at its finest. Each bite is cheesy and satisfying, perfect as a hearty side or a simple main.
I haven’t run this Cheesy Butternut Gratin through a calorie counter until now, but I’ll share the numbers at the end of the post. Regardless, it’s worth every indulgent mouthful. The recipe is straightforward and quick once you’re comfortable peeling and slicing a butternut squash. Serve it as a show-stopping side or let it be the star of the meal — plates will be clean.
It’s been a hectic week here — I haven’t sat at my desk once. Right now I’m on the sofa surrounded by the remnants of craft experiments the kids have been planning: a chalk “spooky scene” in the front window, a string of cut-out bats and pumpkins, and tea-stained notes to make them look ancient. All of it sprang from my eight-year-old daughter’s imagination, with my four-year-old eagerly contributing blue pumpkin drawings and pretending to turn me into a frog with his wizard’s wand.
Gracey even decided to start her own blog and drafted two articles today while I hunted for a paper knight’s helmet for my son (probably long discarded, but let’s not tell him). She’s been so impatient waiting for a WordPress account that she drafted everything in PowerPoint — I might be facing a bit of blogging competition soon.
Between parenting and crafting, I’ve been grabbing half-hour windows to create, cook, photograph, and write. This morning I also came up with a cake using leftover frangipane and speckled bananas — a surprising pairing that works brilliantly. I’ll share the recipe next week; you can find a sneak peek on my Instagram.
The Cheesy Butternut Gratin Recipe:
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Cheesy Butternut Gratin
Ingredients
- 1 small butternut squash weighing about 850g, peeled and deseeded
- 300 ml double/heavy cream
- 2 cloves garlic peeled and crushed
- 140 g mature cheddar cheese
- salt and pepper
- ½ tsp dried sage
- 25 g pine nuts
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F).
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Slice the butternut squash into half-moons about 5mm thick and set aside.
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Warm the cream with the crushed garlic in a small pan until it almost reaches boiling — do not let it boil. Remove from the heat and let the garlic infuse the cream.
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Take an ovenproof dish (about 20cm x 25cm). Arrange a third of the squash in an overlapping layer on the bottom. Sprinkle a quarter of the cheese, a pinch of the dried sage, and season with salt and pepper. Pour over a quarter of the hot cream.
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Repeat to create a second layer with the same order of squash, cheese, sage, seasoning, and cream.
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For the final layer, arrange the remaining squash, then pour the remaining cream around the sides so it fills the dish and just reaches the bottom of the top layer of squash. Scatter the remaining cheese, sage, salt and pepper over the top and finish with the pine nuts.
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Bake for 35–40 minutes, until the squash is tender and the top is golden and bubbling. Allow to rest briefly before serving.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximation.
Nutritional info obtained per portion (recipe makes 4 portions)
544 calories? That’s better than I expected 😀