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    Home » Recipes » Recipes for Side Dishes

    Butternut Squash Gratin in Puff Pastry

    Published: Oct 22, 2023 · Modified: Mar 27, 2024 by Cristina · This post may contain affiliate links · 2 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    This gooey and decadent butternut squash gratin has a creamy baked brie center, crunchy pecan topping and crisp puff pastry crust. It's also a beautiful eye-catching seasonal appetizer or side dish for your next holiday gathering.

    Close up of butternut squash gratin in puff pastry in oval cast iron baking dish.

    This butternut squash gratin combines some of the best seasonal flavors: sweet squash, crunchy pecans, creamy brie, crisp puff pastry. This makes it a perfect holiday appetizer or side dish to add to your next Thanksgiving menu.

    I love the tastes of this dish and also the somewhat rustic presentation. The overhanging bits of puff pastry look really nice but you also can't help but want to pick them off and dunk them into that melted brie in the center.

    Truly a great pick for a holiday dish as it combines all the best flavors of the season.

    Jump to:
    • Ingredients
    • Instructions
    • Equipment
    • Storage & Reheating
    • Timing
    • Pairing
    • Related
    • Recipe
    • Comments

    Ingredients

    The nice thing about a gratin is that it can be fairly simple. In principle you just need the chosen vegetable being used and the béchamel (or add cheese and it's a Mornay sauce).

    The ingredients to make bechamel including flour, butter, a small pot of milk, nutmeg and salt.
    • Whole butternut squash: peel, cut lengthwise and scoop out the seeds
    • Premade puff pastry: the piece shown here is 34 by 26cm / 13 by 10 inches and weighs 270 grams / 9.5 ounces. It's placed in an oval baking dish that measures 24 cm / 9.4 inches at its longest point. You will need to adjust accordingly depending on the puff pastry you find and the baking dishes you have on hand.
    • Milk
    • Flour
    • Butter
    • Salt
    • Hard cheese like gruyere
    • Soft cheese like brie or camembert
    • Pecans

    Please see recipe card for quantities.

    Instructions

    There are three main steps involved:

    • Precook the squash
    • Prepare the bechamel
    • Bake the assembled gratin

    The order you do things in isn't very impactful but I would suggest making the bechamel while the squash is precooking.

    If the bechamel sits it might get a bit lumpy. You can usually resolve this by whisking it vigorously again over medium heat. If it get's too thick add more milk one tablespoon at a time while whisking. Full troubleshooting tips are in my post on bechamel.

    Precooking the Butternut Squash

    For best results I recommend precooking the squash for two reasons.

    First, to make sure it's cooked. Since the puff pastry could cook before the squash does: the last thing you want is raw squash in puff pastry.

    More importantly, like many vegetables, butternut squash releases some water while cooking.

    That water can make the gratin watery, so it's best to cook the squash separately so you can discard the water.

    A butternut squash cut lengthwise and peeled with a vegetable peeler.

    Peel the butternut squash, cut it lengthwise and scoop out the center. Prebake it on a parchment lined baking sheet following the instructions in the recipe card below.

    Cooked butternut squash on a baking tray and uncooked puff pastry in a baking dish.

    Once the squash is cooked and cooled, slice it thinly on the horizontal plane before placing it into the puff pastry.

    Butternut squash and brie in uncooked puff pastry in a baking dish.

    Place the cooked squash into the puff pastry lined baking dish. Place the brie in the center (for a gooey, melted middle) or scatter it around for more even brie flavor.

    Preparing the Béchamel

    The only hands-on part of this recipe (besides cleaning and slicing the squash) is making the béchamel.

    Making the béchamel is straightforward but you can see detailed information and troubleshooting tips in my post on making perfect bechamel.

    Melting butter and flour in a saucepan to make bechamel sauce.

    Make a roux with the butter and flour.

    Pouring milk over a roux to make bechamel.

    Whisk the milk in.

    Bechamel sauce with grated gruyere on top to make a Mornay cheese sauce.

    Mix in the salt and gruyere cheese.

    The uncooked ingredients in an oval baking dish before baking: bechamel and pecan topping over butternut squash and brie cheese in puff pastry.

    Pour the cheese béchamel over the squash in the roasting dish and scatter crushed pecans on top.

    Equipment

    Any oven safe roasting dish will do.

    I used a Staub cast iron oval roasting dish which is 24 cm / 9.4 inches at its longest point. It was just the right size with room to spare.

    Storage & Reheating

    Can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for 3-4 days. Best reheated in the oven at 175 C / 350 F for 10-15 minutes. Pro tip: sprinkle some more gruyere and pecans on top to recreate the golden, caramelized crust.

    You can also reheat in the microwave in a pinch.

    Timing

    Gratin is best served out of the oven. If it sits too long the béchamel eventually firms up.

    When timing your meal, try to put the gratin in the oven 25-30 minutes before you intend to eat it. That way you can put it on the table when it's at its peak.

    Close up of butternut squash gratin in puff pastry in oval cast iron baking dish.

    Pairing

    Looking for a dish to pair with this side? Try these:

    • lemon feta orzo cover
      Lemon Orzo with Feta
    • close up cover potato cheese puffs with chili
      Potato Cheddar Puff Pastry Turnovers
    • pilaf mediterranean veg cover
      Mediterranean Vegetable Pilaf
    • oat crust chicken serving
      Crunchy Oat Crusted Chicken Schnitzel

    Related

    Looking for other side dish recipes like this? Try these:

    • butter spinach and brown beans
      Slow Cooked Buttery Spinach and Beans
    • romanian olivier salad salate de boeuf
      Romanian Olivier Salad: Salată de Boeuf
    • celeriac puree with butter
      Creamy Roasted Celeriac Puree
    • crispy roasted mushrooms close up
      Crispy Roasted Mushrooms with Garlic & Thyme

    Recipe

    Close up of butternut squash gratin with baked brie melting out of the center.
    5 from 1 vote

    Butternut Squash Gratin in Puff Pastry

    Course: Side Dish
    Cuisine: American, European
    Gratin, Squash
    Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 50 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes
    Servings: 8
    Calories: 396kcal
    Creamy butternut squash gratin with a baked brie center, pecan topping and puff pastry crust.
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    Ingredients

    • 1 butternut squash prebaked
    • 1.5 tablespoons olive oil
    • 1 package puff pastry 270 grams or 10oz
    • 500 ml milk
    • 45 grams butter
    • 45 grams flour
    • 100 grams gruyere grated
    • 0.5 teaspoons salt or more to taste
    • 100 grams brie cheese or camembert cheese

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 200 C / 390 C.

    prepare the butternut squash

    • Feel the butternut squash and scoop out the seeds. Place it facedown on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes or until fork tender.

    make the béchamel

    • Heat the butter in a saucepan over medium heat until melted and beginning to bubble.
    • Add the flour and whisk together until it forms a consistent paste (the roux). Keep stirring the roux for 1-2 minutes to cook. It should begin to smell nutty.
    • Pour the milk over the roux and whisk vigorously and consistently. The milk can be poured in either all at once or ⅓ at a time - both ways are fine.
    • Keep whisking until the bechamel thickens (3-4 minutes). If lumpy, whisk more vigorously. See post for troubleshooting details.
    • Stir in the gruyere and salt.
    • Taste the béchamel and add more salt as needed, keeping in mind it will also need to be seasoned enough for the squash.

    assemble the gratin

    • Lay the puff pastry out in the roasting pan.
    • Slice the butternut squash thinly then arrange it over the puff pastry in the roasting pan.
    • Pour the béchamel over the squash and then crumble the pecans on top.
    • Reduce the oven temperature to 180 C / 360 F before putting the gratin in. Bake for at least 30 minutes or until the top is golden. If it browns too much in some spots, reduce the heat and roast until an even golden brown.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 396kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 40g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 19g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 46mg | Sodium: 530mg | Potassium: 501mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 10404IU | Vitamin C: 20mg | Calcium: 282mg | Iron: 3mg

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)

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      Recipe Rating




    1. JT

      March 27, 2024 at 4:53 am

      Does the brie or camembert get placed on top of the puff pastry under the arranged squash?

      Reply
      • Cristina

        March 27, 2024 at 6:46 am

        Hi JT. It's not quite under the squash but on the same level. The puff pastry goes down first, then the squash and cheese. You can put the cheese in the middle of the arranged squash like I did or spread it around more evenly if you like. Finally top it all off with the cheesy bechamel and crushed pecans.

        If you wanted to put the layer of cheese on the bottom (between the puff pastry and the squash) then I don't see why not.

        I hope you enjoy the recipe!

        Reply

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