Cheesey Savory Butternut Squash Bake
This is a cheesy, savory, creamy butternut squash bake. Imagine a baking dish filled with cheesy mashed potatoes with a crunchy top, but instead, we are using the nutrient-rich and lower-carb option of butternut squash. And in case you're worried about whether this dish will turn out savory like a mashed potato dish instead of sweet like most butternut squash dishes, I can assure you, based on many taste tests by my discerning critics, it is SAVORY and not sweet! Enjoy!
This is a cheesy, savory, creamy butternut squash bake. Imagine a baking dish filled with cheesy mashed potatoes with a crunchy top, but instead, we are using the nutrient-rich and lower-carb option of butternut squash. And in case you're worried about whether this dish will turn out savory like a mashed potato dish instead of sweet like most butternut squash dishes, I can assure you, based on many taste tests by my discerning critics, it is SAVORY and not sweet! Enjoy!
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
- topping
- 2 eggs beaten
- 1/3 cup cheddar cheese shredded
- 3 lbs butternut squash (about 1 large fresh; weigh it at the store to verify)
- 4 tablespoons butter (unsalted)
- 1 cup sour cream (i use full fat)
- 1/3 cup yellow onion finely chopped
- 1/3 cup parmesan cheese shredded
- 1 cup cashew pieces
- 1 cup crunchy onion straws (broken into smaller pieces)
- Carbohydrate 22.0541692358485 g
- Cholesterol 63.3094444600084 mg
- Fat 18.0954089316917 g
- Fiber 2.81578407472297 g
- Protein 5.72507398106739 g
- Saturated Fat 8.71803185301027 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (170g)
- Sodium 152.11881263097 mg
- Sugar 19.2383851611255 g
- Trans Fat 1.33446612271661 g
- Calories 259 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Cut the squash longways into two pieces. Scoop out the pulp and seeds with a spoon.
- Place the two halves of the squash face down in the un-greased baking dish and add water to about 1/2" depth.
- Bake at 350 for 1.5 hours (or until the squash is soft all the way through)
- While squash is baking, add the remaining ingredients (except for topping ingredients) to a mixing bowl; let stand.
- Grease/spray one of the 9" x 13" casserole dishes; set aside.
- After squash is cooked, use a spoon to scoop the flesh out of the rind; add to the mixing bowl which has been standing with ingredients.
- Mix thoroughly until mixture is creamy and smooth.
- Pour mixture into the greased casserole dish.
- Sprinkle with the crushed cashews and broken crunchy onion straws.
- Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until the topping is a golden brown and the bake is warm throughout.
Timing the Squash Roast
Baking three pounds of squash cut-side down in half an inch of water at 350 degrees Fahrenheit takes a full ninety minutes to soften completely. Piercing the thickest part of the neck with a paring knife provides the definitive doneness test; if resistance remains, give it another ten minutes. Roasting rather than boiling prevents excess moisture from accumulating in the flesh, which would otherwise ruin the structure of the dairy and egg binders added later.Managing Yields and Ratios
Dividing this recipe requires careful attention to the egg and sour cream ratios because reducing the vegetable base too drastically without scaling down the binder will result in a watery custard instead of a dense, sliceable mash. Halving the ingredients yields a single eight-inch square pan rather than the standard nine-by-thirteen-inch dish, requiring a slightly reduced bake time of thirty-five minutes. Adjusting batches downward also lets cooks utilize smaller countertop ovens without heating a full-size range for a weeknight side dish.Equipment Workarounds
Stand mixers deliver the smoothest puree by beating air into the hot squash, but a standard potato masher works adequately if a rustic, textured casserole is preferred. Frozen squash shortcuts require steaming rather than boiling to preserve cell structure, and the resulting thawed vegetable must be drained thoroughly in a colander before mixing. Crushed cashews and onion straws provide the final crunchy contrast on the surface, requiring forty-five minutes in the oven to turn golden brown without burning the dairy underneath.
