Nutty Butternut Squash
Original Kaboose.com recipes and photography by Rosemary Black
Average User Rating:
A crunchy, toasted pecan topping makes this dish perfect for any fall celebration. It's also very easy since it uses frozen squash. A wonderful source of nutrients that body converts into vitamin A, this winter squash is a tasty way to get kids to eat their veggies.
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
- 3 (12-ounce) packages frozen winter squash, thawed
- 1/3 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3 eggs
Cooking Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Lightly butter a shallow 3-quart baking dish with 1 tablespoon of butter.
- In a small skillet over medium heat, toast the pecans for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. When they are golden brown, remove the pecans from the skillet and transfer to a plate to cool.
- In a large mixing bowl, stir together the thawed squash and ¼-cup of brown sugar.
- In a skillet, melt 3 tablespoons of butter. Add the flour and stir for 1 minute. Stir in the milk, salt and cinnamon. Blend well.
- Beat the eggs into the squash. Add the milk mixture to the squash and beat until smooth. Spread the squash into the prepared baking dish.
- Bake the squash, uncovered, for 35 minutes.
- While it's baking, wash and dry the small skillet before melting the remaining butter in it. Stir in the remaining brown sugar and the toasted pecans, then remove from heat. Sprinkle the topping over the squash and bake for another 20 minutes, or until steaming hot and golden brown around the edges.
Substitution(s)
If someone in your family is allergic to nuts, you can omit them from the recipe and simply top the squash with a mixture of butter and brown sugar. Or you can omit the topping entirely, in which case, you should cover the dish with foil until the last 10 minutes of cooking so that it won’t get too brown or crusty.
Prefer another kind of nut? Try this dish with walnuts, cashews or peanuts instead.
Storage Tips
Store leftovers, covered, in the refrigerator and use within 2 days.
Tips & Tricks
This dish is excellent with roast turkey, chicken, and with baked ham.
The easiest way to thaw frozen squash is to simply let it defrost in the fridge for a couple of days before you use it. But since most of us don’t think that far ahead, an alternate method is to unwrap the squash, place it into a large, microwave-safe bowl, and defrost on medium, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes.
15 minutes
Cooking Time:
55 minutes
Ready In:
70 minutes
How kids can help
Kids can help make this dish by measuring the ingredients and buttering the baking dish.
Related Recipes:
Carrot Souffle
Caramelized Sweet Potato Fries
Ziti Butternut Squash with Ricotta
Cranberry-Filled Stuffing Patties
More Thanksgiving Recipes
