This is an easy side dish idea that you can make with any mild squash that you have on hand. The squash is seasoned, layered, and baked with sliced apples, cooked onions, bread crumbs, and cheese.
The apples tease out the sweetness in the squash creating a pleasing combo. You can use any squash that you have on hand - acorn, butternut, banana, etc. And if you don't have any squash at all, you can totally use sweet potatoes!
You can uncover the dish at the end of the baking time to achieve a more crispy cheese and bread crumb topping, or you can leave it covered if you want it to be more ooey gooey. Enjoy!
PrintApple Squash Au Gratin
- Total Time: 2 hours 20 mins
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 3 TBS butter, divided
- 1 small sweet yellow onion, chopped
- Pinch of salt
- 2 ½ cups sweet apples, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1 TBS all-purpose flour
- ⅔ to 1 ½ cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated
- 2 TBS plain bread crumbs
- 3 cups acorn, butternut, or banana squash, cooked (see notes)
- 1 tsp ground thyme
- 1 tsp ground sage
- ¼ cup whole milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F
- Melt 1 TBS butter in a skillet and add the onions. Saute until tender.
- Melt the remaining 2 TBS of butter. Use a potato masher to mash the cooked squash with the thyme, sage, milk, and a pinch of salt.
- Since all squashes will vary in flavor, be sure to taste the squash mixture at this point so you can adjust the amount of milk, butter, or any spices to your liking.
- In a lightly-greased 9" pie dish, layer the squash mixture, then top with the onions. Arrange the apple slices in a pretty spiral pattern and then top with the breadcrumbs and cheese.
- Cover and bake for 30 minutes, then uncover and bake for an additional 15 minutes or until browned. If you want to keep your cheese soft and gooey, leave the dish covered for the entire bake time.
Notes
You can cook your squash however you wish, but I've found an easy way is to heat your oven to 350F, carefully pierce the squash with a knife all over, and place the whole thing on a baking sheet. Bake for 45min - 90min (depends how thick your squash is) checking after 40 minutes by poking with a knife. The squash on the inside should feel tender once the outer skin is punctured.
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 2 hours
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