Baked Squash Gratin

Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis

Show: Everyday ItalianEpisode: Sinful Vegetables

Rated: 4 stars out of 5Rate itRead users' reviews (82)

Cook Time:
1 hr 0 min
Level:
Easy
Yield:
6 servings

Times:

Prep: 15 min
Inactive Prep: --
Cook: 1 hr 0 min
Total:: 1 hr 15 min

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Ingredients

1 (3-pound) butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1/4 cup purchased basil pesto
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces, plus more for greasing

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Lightly butter an 8-inch baking dish and set aside. Fill a large pot with enough water to come 2 inches up the sides of the pot. Set a steamer rack in the pot, cover, and bring the water to a boil over high heat. Add the squash and steam over medium heat until the squash is very tender, about 20 minutes. Transfer the squash to a food processor and blend until smooth and creamy. Season the squash to taste with salt and pepper.

Spoon half of the squash evenly over the prepared baking dish. Dollop half of the pesto all over the squash in the dish. Sprinkle half of the cheese over the squash. Repeat layering with the remaining squash, pesto, and cheese. Using a skewer, swirl the pesto decoratively into the squash. Dot the top with butter and bake until the gratin is heated through and golden brown around the edges, about 40 minutes.

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Comments & Reviews

recipe Baked Squash Gratin
jean monroe, GA 11-07-2009
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very very good!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I am putting together a very special supper for the Rector of our church and his board of directors and needed to find a... recipe that might enhance a chicken lasagna florentine and this is perfect for one of two vegetables for that evening. I agree with the person who said to not go overboard on the pesto..a light touch on the layer is best , putting an emphasis on the grated parmesan. The wonderful flavor of the squash would be masked with too much pesto. A beautiful and special dish...I tried it tonight to make sure it was what I was looking for! Im excited to include it on the menu for that evening at our church for clergy!Read more
recipe Baked Squash Gratin
Kelly Los Angeles, CA 01-12-2009
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Yum!
Rated: 4 stars out of 5

I recently made this recipe and thought it was very tasty. I am not always a fan of Giada's recipes because they are... sometimes lacking flavor but this one was a keeper! Read more
recipe Baked Squash Gratin
Jan Cookeville, TN 12-28-2008
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Delish dish!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I made this to go with Christmas dinner and all in my family were pleasantly surprised. The combo sounded a bit strange to... me, but I was game. I find myself having to be careful with basil pesto as it tends to give me indigestion if used too liberally, so I very thinly layered it, but added a nice layer of cheese to finish. It was even more tasty the next day after having a chance for the flavors to "consummato". I served it with a roasted beef tenderloin, highly seasoned. This dish requires some hearty flavors to go with it. I may try it with other pesto options next time. Love butternut squash! And the only way to cook it, IMO, is cubed, in the microwave. Thank you again, Giada!Read more
recipe Baked Squash Gratin
Chelsea Osterville, MA 11-13-2008
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Very Good and Easy!
Rated: 4 stars out of 5

This dish was simple to prepare and very good. The flavor combination of pesto and squash was surprisingly delicious, and... everyone in my family enjoyed it. If you prefer your butternut squash sweetened and with lots of butter, this is probably not the best dish for you. Even after reading the mixed reviews of this recipe I made it, and was happy I did!Read more
recipe Baked Squash Gratin
Meredith Hercules, CA 11-02-2008
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Ugh, this was disgusting.
Rated: 1 stars out of 5

I'm not hard to please, but this was absolutely disgusting. I was sad I'd ruined a perfectly good squash. My family loves... pesto, squash, and parmesian, so I thought this would be a hit. I served it at my Halloween party- it looked beautiful and everyone wanted to try it, but I couldn't get anyone to taste it after I tried it first and declared it disgusting. I was literally almost sick.. I was overwhelmed with nausea and had to sit down. My cat did love it, and had seconds. I think I used just a touch more pesto than necessary, but Giada had used quite a lot on the show, more than I thought I was using, 1/4 of a cup is so little. I did pour off a little bit of the oil from the pesto before use. I also used a little extra cheese. I don't think my small tweaks were enough to totally ruin the entire dish, though. Although I didn't like this, I would say to only blend the squash until it's a mush, maybe even just mash it with a potato masher-- it's might have been more palatable had it been less smooth. I tasted the squash when it was just a little mushy from steaming and it was delish (I had never steamed squash before, usually bake it and was surprised that it was still very tasty even not covered in butter and herbs! ;) ) I might try something similar some time, minus the pesto and with chunkier pieces of squash and less cheese.Read more
recipe Baked Squash Gratin
Lisa Emerald Isle, NC 10-23-2008
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Pesto Lover's Delight
Rated: 4 stars out of 5

Made this side dish for a large dinner group (12) and nearly everyone liked it. If you like pesto and squash, try this... recipe! They work well together.Read more