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Au gratin is a French term for a baked dish that is covered in bread crumbs, cheese, or both. Cheesy Butternut Squash Potatoes au Gratin is a gluten free casserole recipe, with creamy cheddar cheese sauce and Parmesan cheese baked over sliced butternut squash and potatoes.
#SundaySupper has you “covered” this week. Covered in chocolate, covered in frosting, covered dishes. I chose to cover one of my old dishes, turning it into something new; a dish covered in cheese! This is perfect for when you are going to a potluck and need a covered dish. Who knew all of this creamy cheesiness could be packed with veggie goodness? It’s Cheesy Butternut Squash Potatoes au Gratin.
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We just returned from a week long Thanksgiving visit to see my aunt and cousins in Kentucky. If you plug her address into our GPS it tells you that it is about a ten hour and fifteen minute drive. That’s without stops. I have two kids – a baby that still eats five or six times a day, and an extremely active three year old that has no interest in any activity that can be done while sitting down, except watching TV. This was clearly going to take longer than ten hours.
So I’m a minivan mom. I hate the thing, but given that any family visit requires a minimum of a two hour drive, and often a several day stay, the birth of the second child pretty much made this a necessity. We bought the van in April, and somehow managed to hide the fact that it is equipped with a television and DVD player. Yeah, until this trip. We got through the first afternoon/evening four hour leg without leg of the journey without revealing this amazing feature, but when we were fifteen minutes into day two and knew we likely wouldn’t be pulling into our hotel until about eight or nine hours later, and he was already kicking the seat and whining and telling us he wanted to go to his cousins’ house NOW, it was time.
We brought a small selection of movies, but you want to guess what evoked this reaction? (this is the still photo – click the link to get the full effect. Trust me!)
Nope, not the latest Pixar movie or a favorite show from Disney Junior or Nick Jr. It was classic Looney Tunes! Pure, uncomplicated, utterly nonsensical, silly and cheesy! Nothing like introducing children of this high tech generation to the wonders of Bugs Bunny, Tweety and Wile E. Coyote!
Now I’ll just have to figure out how to explain that the TV doesn’t work for the five minute drive to preschool to my kid who is just wayyy to observant for his own good. This should be easy.
Speaking of easy and cheesy, these au gratin potatoes…
Umm, yeah, seriously, you want these babies.
I make my recipe for Butternut Squash Macaroni & Cheese often, and we always love it. The butternut squash turns a rich, heavy cheese sauce that typically starts with a flour and butter roux into a gluten free, lighter, but still just as creamy and flavorful dish. So instead of pasta, use potatoes to make a cheddar au gratin.
It took a couple of tries and some recipe tweaks to get it to turn out right, but these cheesy au gratin potatoes are sure to become a staple, just like the macaroni predecessor. It is hearty and comforting, but I can still feel good about letting The Bug have a big helping, confident he is also getting his veggies in. Heck, I was happy to dig into seconds myself. It makes a huge dish, so you can certainly bring this to a potluck, or maybe even add it to your Christmas menu to go alongside that ham. Or just make it for your family, and reheat the leftovers for lunch or dinner later in the week.
Join the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. Check out our #SundaySupper Pinterest board for more fabulous recipes and food photos.
Plus make sure you check out all of the other “covered” #SundaySupper dishes at the bottom of this post.
What is your favorite cartoon?
A couple of things you may need for the cheesy au gratin butternut squash and potatoes recipe:
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Butternut Squash & Cheddar Potatoes au Gratin
Ingredients
- 1 medium butternut squash about 3 pounds, peeled and cut into large chunks
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup vegetable or chicken broth
- 2 ounces cream cheese I used light
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard
- 1 cup sharp or extra sharp cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese divided
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2-2½ pounds white potatoes peeled and cut into 1/4 inch thick slices
Instructions
- Steam the butternut squash until it is soft and can be mashed easily with a fork.
- Preheat your oven to 400°F, and spray a 13×9 inch baking pan with cooking spray or oil.
- Place the butternut squash, milk, broth, cream cheese, mustard, cheddar cheese, and 1/4 c Parmesan cheese in a blender and puree until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Layer half of the potatoes in the prepared pan and pour over half of the cheese sauce. Repeat with the remaining potatoes and sauce.
- Cover and bake for 30 minutes.
- Sprinkle the remaining Parmesan cheese over the top, then bake uncovered for another 20-30 minutes, or until the potatoes in the center are soft and the top is browned.
Notes
Categories:
Want some more cheesy goodness?
Plus check out all types of “covered” dishes for #SundaySupper:
Covered Appetizers and Entreés
- Slow Cooker Cheesy Party Mix from Hot Momma’s Kitchen Chaos
- Personal Steak Pot Pies from The Foodie Army Wife
- Slowcooker Bean and Ham Soup from Jane’s Adventures in Dinner
- Cheesy Butternut Squash Potatoes Au Gratin from Cupcakes & Kale Chips
- Salmon en Croute from Curious Cuisiniere
- Gluten Free Turkey Pot Pie from MarocMama
- Excellent Beef Stew from Noshing With The Nolands
- Sweet Potato and Kale Casserole from Supper for a Steal
- Salisbury Steak with Mushroom Gravy from Food Lust People Love
- Carrot Cake Slow Cooker Oatmeal from Mess Makes Food
- Pigs in a Blanket (Cabbage Rolls) from Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
Covered Desserts
- Banana Coffee Cake with Chocolate Chip Streusel from Killer Bunnies, Inc
- Bacon Cinnamon Rolls with Maple Frosting from Bobbi’s Kozy Kitchen
- Streusel Topped Apple Pie from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
- Dark Chocolate Cake Batter Truffles from Take A Bite Out of Boca
- Chocolate Satin Pie from That Skinny Chick Can Bake
- Banana Butterscotch Muffin-Cake from What Smells So Good?
- Chocolate Banoffee Pie from Happy Baking Days
- 1 Easy Chocolate Macaron Recipe, 3 Japanese Wine Fillings from NinjaBaking.com
- Chocolate Covered “Party Popcorn” from Ruffles & Truffles
- Caramel Apple Bundt Cake from Pies and Plots
Not Sure What To Do? We’ve Got You Covered
- Cilantro Turkey Salad with Farro and Mango from Shockingly Delicious covering turkey leftovers
- Back to Basics: How to Truss a Chicken for Roasting from Crazy Foodie Stunts covering a cooking technique
- Peppermint Whip Cream from Peanut Butter and Peppers covering a vegan and dairy-free dessert topping
- Gluten Free Lego Cookies from Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks covering a gluten-free dessert
- Banana Split Pie from Country Girl in the Village covering a no-bake dessert
- Durian Cake from The Urban Mrs covering a dessert with an uncommon ingredient
- Cranberry Walnut Crumble Bars from Magnolia Days covering an idea for fresh cranberries
- Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake Bars from Alida’s Kitchen covering a quick and easy cheesecake fix
- Prosciutto covered Rosemary Pork from Family Foodie covering a holiday meal on a budget
- Homemade Yellow Cake Mix from Treats & Trinkets covering a cake mix without the chemicals from store-bought ones
- Waffled Cranberry Cream Cheese Turkey Sandwiches from Neighborfood covering turkey leftovers
- Apple Cider Doughnuts from The Texan New Yorker covering a dish made at home so you don’t need to wait in long lines for it
I *love* butternut, never thought to pair it with cheese!
It works so well!
Yup, this one is definitely a winner, too! So glad you showed up to the Sweet Sharing Monday Linkey and posted this. Looks delicious.
Deb @ Kneaded Creations
Gotta love anything cheesy!
Can’t go wrong with potatoes and cheese! Squash ca only make it better!
Exactly!
This looks fantastic! I never met a potato gratin I didn’t love.
Potatoes and cheese – what’s not to love?!
What a great laugh! This is such a cool twist on potatoes au gratin (which I didn’t get at Thanksgiving this year, so you’ve sparked a craving!)
Go satisfy that craving!!
This sounds so delicious! I love the spin on potatoes au gratin!
Thanks Sarah.
that looks so delicious!
Thank you. It was!
I am officially deeming you the butternut squash gratin queen. The sage pesto one was amazing (I made it for Thanksgiving) and this one sounds just as good!
So glad you loved the other recipe. I loves me some squash!!
It looks so scrumptious, and a great, healthy twist on the standard mashed potatoes we’re always eating. HUGS!
Always good to get in some extra veggies!
Brianne: I can’t wait to share this easy, cheesy recipe with our Facebook fans…I love everything about it! And I also love the Looney Tunes reaction. There’s almost no sound better int he world than a child’s belly laugh.
Thanks Candace!!
Priceless photo of your son with the DVD reveal, Brianne…And very valuable recipe for getting kids to eat their butternut squash =)
(My younger niece’s go-to protein was always cheese.)
My little guy will eat squash, but cheese always makes it go down easier!
You bought your vehicle in the spring and hid a TV from your kids until now? I wouldn’t be able to hide it from my daughter for two days. I also would never have thought to combine butternut squash and potatoes. It looks good.
It’ll be harder when he is older. At 3 I can tell him it doesn’t work 🙂
I love that you added butternut squash in with the potatoes..I bet that gives it a great flavor!
It definitely does!!
I love your posts about the kids… it brings back so many memories. I too was a minivan mom and hated every minute of it. Then I graduated to a suburban then another suburban… finally after 20 years, I am driving a car again that I love! So, there is light at the end of the tunnel. We would drive to NC every year and yes, that thing is a lifesaver!
And I love hearing from you about how things will change as they grow! I am not good with journaling, so I love to share AND save these stories on the blog.
Mmmmmmm……that looks so creamy and good!
Cheesy is always good!
As I am reading your post guess what I can hear in the background??? Yup, you got Looney Tunes!! My daughter and husband still love it and so do I!! Your butternut squash dish looks fabulous and I love the combo of squash and cheddar together!!!
That is too funny Tara! Thanks!
Haha! What a great photo! Looney Toons for the win! Glad you survived the trip. 🙂 This dish looks so comforting. Perfect for winter!
It is a great cold weather dish! And yep, we definitely survived with some help from technology.
Oh, my. I love your cheesy topping…this must taste incredible!!!
Thanks Liz. Cheese is always good!!
I love your post and nothing beats the Looney Tunes!! Way better than the cartoons they show on tv now a days! 🙂 Your butternut squash cheddar potatoes au gratin looks just incredible! I could the whole batch!!
He actually does watch some cute new ones, but glad he likes the old stuff too.
This sounds so good for a seasonal side dish!
It is the time of year to add squash to everything!
Oh my gosh – I love that he is so tickled by watching Looney Tunes! Such a classic – this makes me happy!
And those potatoes…oh my do I want to try a huge scoop!
Gotta love that he appreciates the classics 🙂
What a great idea for a comforting dish! I have a butternut squash that needs using so guess what I’ll be making?!
Thanks Katy!
You have really started something now with that TV in the van. I can just see you explaining how it doesn’t work on the way to school.
Nice way to make potatoes au gratin as I would have never thought to add butternut squash.
I am doomed, Renee! 🙂
What a great belly laugh, Brianne! I can’t even imagine how you managed to keep the video player a secret.
Love your cheesy squash and potatoes. This would be a big winner at our house too!
He does have am amazing belly laugh! Always has!