Savory Butternut Squash Casserole
With a few time-saving tricks, you can have this savory butternut squash casserole with less then 10 minutes of hand-on time required. No pre-cooking or chopping and can be assembled 2 days in advance.
Perfect for Thanksgiving dinner or just a cozy fall meal at home!
If you’re not a fan of sweet potato casseroles with the marshmallow or brown sugar toppings, preferring instead more savory side dishes, then you will love this easy to make recipe.
For years I’ve been making a savory butternut squash dish I found online with garlic and herbs and fresh butternut squash. But it’s a time consuming recipe, and most of us don’t have a lot of time.
By utilizing several short-cuts I’ve learned over the years, I’ve created a new easy to make casserole recipe that is not only perfect for your Thanksgiving dinner, but any dinner because it’s so easy to make.
What is the easiest way to cut a butternut squash?
Don’t! Buy it precut instead.
Seriously, I find butternut squash tricky and time-consuming to cut or cube. As much as I love it I won’t make it often because of how difficult it is to prepare. You have to peel, remove seeds and dice and it’s just really no easy task. And without a perfectly sharpened knife, it can be little risky too.
Thankfully, you can generally find ready-to-cook butternut squash at most any grocery store. I found this large 2 pound package at Costco and I can generally find 12-16 oz packages at most regular grocery stores. This is the best way to enjoy fresh butternut squash without the extra work.
If you can’t find one or really want to cut one yourself, then this tutorial should help you out.
How to make a savory sauce:
After a lot of trial and error, I’ve found one the easiest and most delicious ways to make a creamy and savory sauce is by using a combination of heavy cream and chicken broth.
For this dish, if we add some parmesan cheese and spices, it creates the prefect savory, creamy and flavorful sauce to turn regular butternut squash into a casserole.
Since no one wants to dirty up an extra pan, we don’t even precook this sauce. Simply mix the ingredients together with a little cornstarch and they will thicken as they cook in the oven.
For a time saving crunchy savory topping, use your favorite brand and flavor of potato chips. Simply crush them up for the best topping.
Pro cooking tips:
You can assemble this casserole up to two days in advance and simply bring to room temp then pop in the oven when ready to bake.
Two pounds of butternut squash will cook down quite a bit, so you’ll want to use a smaller 2 quart casserole dish.
Use a non-stick spray in your dish to ensure easy removal by you or your guests.
Use kettle style chips for the best topping. Plain is fine, or try out a flavor like rosemary and olive oil.
Swap out thyme for rosemary or other favorite savory dried herb to customize this dish for your taste.
Garnish with fresh herbs for best presentation.
What to pair with this butternut squash casserole:
While you might find this to be a delicious dinner by itself, I’m sure you might want some other ideas for how to serve it up.
- perfect with your Thanksgiving turkey dinner
- amazing with turkey meatloaf
- and awesome with crispy chicken thighs
Savory Butternut Squash Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 pounds cubed butternut squash
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with an equal amount of water
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup shredded parmesan
- 2 oz crushed potato chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees
- Whisk together broth, cream, cornstarch slurry and seasonings
- Spray a 2 quart casserole dish with non-stick spray
- Add cubed squash
- Pour sauce over top
- Bake for 25-30 minutes until squash start to become tender
- Add crushed chips and bake 10-15 minutes until squash is completely tender and chips have lightly browned on top
- Let rest 10 minutes before serving
In the recipe directions, you keep saying to top the casserole off with ‘chops’. I know you meant ‘chips’, but you should correct this typo as someone could mistake ‘chops’ for pork chops.
Thanks Betsy! I’ll be sure to get that updated so that no one ends up adding pork chops to their casserole! 😉
Any ideas for an alternative to potato chips? Would it be ok without it?
I think you could simply leave them off and be okay. Maybe a sprinkle of parmesan cheese on top.
I don’t see where or when to layer or add the cheese, looks interesting, going to try this, thnx
thank you for the catch! I suggest adding it along with the chips (or it can be left off as well if preferred)
Use of parmesan cheese is variable. It is mentioned in the discussion above with regard to the savory sauce. In the comments the use of the parmesan is suggested with the crushed chips. Each will give a different result as the topping with be more of a cooked cheese taste as opposed to the flavor blending in with the squash and sauce. The butternut squash we use we grew and are quite sweet. To drive the flavor in the savory direction, mixing the cheese with the sauce makes the most sense to me. And, I can’t ever disregard of adding parmesan to the chips on the top as that would offer a tangy bite to the casserole. I’m preparing this today and will see how it comes out.
Do you think it would work using potato sticks instead of potato chips?
I’m not familiar with potato sticks but if they are similar texture then yes.