Butternut Squash and Sage Gratin
This recipe comes with a little warning, bake the gratin on a baking sheet because the cheese can ooze and make a mess of your oven and you want to catch all that crispy cheese as a snack for the chef, so it actually serves 2 purposes.
A Really Good Cheese Sauce
For the sauce, I took inspiration from the baked gnocchi with sage and cheese I made last year. The cheese sauce was so good it had to be repeated, but this time I used milk instead of chicken stock because the butternut squash can hold up to the heavy sauce.
The Cheeses
I always recommend the cook can use whatever good melting cheese they want when it comes to a cheese sauce. I can’t always find fontina in my store, so gruyere is a delicious alternative, sharp white cheddar or havarti are all lovely melting cheeses. It was recently recommended by a reader to try a mild gorgonzola. The Parmesan is the best cheese to mix with the panko topping.
There is something just so flavorful with this sauce I wanted to eat the entire pan, but I was able to practice restraint, barely. Covered in a creamy, cheesy sage sauce and topped with sage panko breadcrumbs, how can that not make you drool?
The Perfect Holiday Side Dish
This butternut squash gratin is also the perfect holiday side dish. If you’re feeding a crowd, double the recipe and prepare in a larger 9 x 13 dish. It was such a hit for Thanksgiving, I made it again for Christmas because it was requested.
If you’ve tried this Butternut Squash and Sage Gratin or any other recipe on the blog then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below. I love to hear from my readers! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST to see daily recipe updates.
Butternut Squash and Sage Gratin
Sweet and creamy butternut squash, fontina & parmesan cheese sauce with fresh sage.
Ingredients
- 1 whole butternut squash peeled and sliced, 1 1/2 to 2 pounds
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups milk
- 1 cup fontina cheese, grated
- 2 cups parmesan cheese, freshly grated
- 1 tablespoon fresh sage, chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F/190°C.
- Butter an 8 x 8-inch (20 x 20-cm) baking dish or mini cast iron skillets.
- Melt the 4 tablespoons butter in a sauté pan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour until it absorbs the butter. Cook while stirring for 2 minutes to cook out the flour taste, it will start to turn darker when ready.
- Whisk in the milk, in small batches until thickened. Stir in the fontina and 1 cup of Parmesan cheese until completely melted and sauce is smooth.
- Stir in the sage, nutmeg and pepper. Taste the sauce and add more salt. This will depend on how salty your cheese is and your salt palette.
- Arrange the butternut squash slices in a single layer on bottom of dish.
- Pour 1/3 of the sauce over the first layer of butternut squash. Arrange another single layer of butternut squash and top with 1/3 of the sauce. Arrange the last layer of butternut squash and top with the remaining sauce.
- Mix the other cup of Parmesan cheese with the panko and mix well. Top the gratin with an even layer.
- Place the dishes onto a baking sheet and bake for 40 minutes until the top is golden and the butternut squash is tender when a fork is inserted.
- Remove from the oven and allow to sit for 5 minutes before serving.
Nutrition Information
Yield
4Amount Per Serving Calories 696Saturated Fat 24gCholesterol 114mgSodium 1237mgCarbohydrates 51gProtein 35g
31 Comments on “Butternut Squash and Sage Gratin”
This was FANTASTIC! Even my husband, who isn’t a huge fan of creamy or cheesy sauces, couldn’t get enough! I followed the directions with these exceptions: used dried nutmeg and halved the amount, and added fresh thyme. This is a decadent, rich side dish that’s perfect for the holidays or other special dinner (or just a Monday night that needs a little sprucing up😋). I wish I had a picture but we devoured it before I thought to take one!
I love to hear this, thank you for sharing.
Hi Laurel, thank you for pointing that out. I’ve updated the recipe. Come back and let me know if you make it 🙂
Thank you! I’m making it this Saturday as a side dish for a “goodbye summer, hello fall” dinner party. 3 day Beef Bourginon main course. Saw this recipe and it looks so delicious, had to include it! I think the creaminess will be good with the “wineyness” of the beef and will also be good for my non-beef eater. Also a nice green salad and pear sorbet with maple sugar cookies for dessert. Will let you know how it turns out!
Laurel that is a fantastic menu and I think this is the perfect creamy side dish to offset the richness of the Bourginon. Please do come back and let me know how it went. I’d love to see a picture 🙂
Butternut squash can be bland (at least to me), so the addition of cheese is definitely appealing to me 😉
I agree Mike and cheese added to anything can’t be bad 🙂
I could eat that whole thing right now! So hungry and it looks so good 🙂
G’day Gorgeous recipe and photos! Wish I could try some now!
Cheers! Joanne
Wow this is calling my name! Love it!
I’m getting hungry for lunch, and now this! Now I’m starving and I want this for lunch! Yum!!! Thanks for sharing this recipe!
I really like the butternut and then you make the gratin. OMG!
Your recipe sounds absolutely delicious and I love your pans too! What a great combo of ingredients!
Pretty much in love with everything that goes in this dish and the outcome is divine. Love that they are served in cast iron pans.
OMG!!!! This looks heavenly!!! I love the combo of butternut squash and sage AND fontina!!!! YUM!
This dish looks incredible!
Gratin is my all time favorite and I can’t help to order one when I saw them at any restaurant! Now I want to get my own cast iron skillets to make those creamy dishes!
I love all your recipes that have sage in them. This one is particularly delicious. Would work great as a side dish for Thanksgiving.
Janette, I am not at all hungry right now but my mouth is watering like crazy at this post. This would be a wonderfully luxurious side dish for a special meal, but I also love the little skillets. How lovely to be served one of those for yourself! Love this!
What a gorgeous dish! Love all the cheese 🙂
Your gratin looks so irresistible. Pinned, YUM’d and SU’d.
This sounds delicious, Janette! What a beautiful recipe and I just adore this photo. Love the little skillets!
Thank you Nicole, I love them too. Finding myself using them for so many dishes.
Looks so colorful and delicious! Pinning and hoping to try it soon!
Thank you Mira 🙂
This is a beautiful dish and recipe. I’ve pinned, tweeted, shared on TSU and Google.
Thank you so much for your support Patty.
So yummy, and how adorable are those mini cast iron skillets! I love the flavors in this dish.
Thank you Mrs Hill 🙂
What a beautiful dish Janette…and so perfect for upcoming holiday dinners!
Thank you so much MPM 🙂