• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Hello Nest

The Art of Making a Home

  • Green Cleaning
    • Air Fresheners
    • Bathroom
    • Bedroom
    • Kitchen
    • Laundry
  • Natural Living
    • Homemade Recipes
    • Essential Oils
    • Plants & Flowers
    • Zero Waste
    • Organizing & Simplifying
  • DIY & Decor
    • Candle Projects
    • Holiday Projects
    • Sewing Projects
  • About
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube

Butternut Squash Gratin with Caramelized Fennel and Gruyere

1 · Nov 15, 2022 · Kiersten · Leave a Comment

Fennel is a polarizing vegetable. It’s one of those things you either love or hate. The anise-like flavor is strong when fennel is served raw or only lightly cooked. Personally, I’m not much of a fan, and I had written off fennel altogether until I discovered how good it is when it’s caramelized.

Butternut Squash Gratin with Caramelized Fennel and Gruyere
Caramelizing fennel mellows that biting anise flavor significantly. It allows fennel to play well with others, so to speak–instead of being the dominant flavor of any dish you add it to, when fennel is caramelized, it complements other ingredients nicely. Added to this Butternut Squash Gratin, caramelized fennel helps highlight the sweetness of the winter squash. If you’re still looking for another Thanksgiving side dish to add to your menu, this is it.

Butternut Squash Gratin with Caramelized Fennel and Gruyere
A lot of people wonder how they can lighten up a gratin recipe–usually their first target is the heavy cream. Can you use something lighter? Well, you could, but you’d run the risk of having your gratin curdle. Save the experimentation for a weekend dinner–for a holiday meal, go with the heavy cream. You can easily cut down on the cheese in the recipe if you’d like, but using milk instead of cream in a gratin is just asking for trouble.

You can easily assemble this Butternut Squash Gratin the night before Thanksgiving and pop it in the oven the next day. Leftovers are fantastic too–we’ve even frozen them with good results, although the butternut squash will be a bit more soft upon reheating.

Butternut Squash Gratin with Caramelized Fennel and Gruyere

Photos by Lindsey Johnson

Butternut Squash Gratin with Caramelized Fennel and Gruyere

Hello Veggie
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 1 hr 10 mins
Total Time 1 hr 25 mins
Course Side Dishes
Servings 6 servings
Calories 324 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 2 bulbs fennel sliced
  • 1 small onion sliced
  • 1 medium butternut squash peeled, seeded and thinly sliced
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1 1/2 cup shredded gruyere or gruyere/Swiss blend from Trader Joe's
  • 1/4 cup panko
See also
A DIY Wreath 4 Ways (Customize for Halloween, Thanksgiving + Christmas)

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 375ºF and grease a square baking dish.
  • Melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the fennel, onion, and a pinch of salt. Stir well and cover; cook for 5 minutes, or until softened. Remove the lid and cook for about 3 minutes more, or until the fennel and onion are nicely browned.
  • Layer half of the butternut squash slices in the baking dish. Season with salt and pepper, then sprinkle with 1/2 cup of the cheese and spread the onions and fennel over the cheese. Top with the remaining butternut squash; season with salt and pepper, pour the cream over the squash, and then top with the remaining cheese and panko. Use an oil mister or cooking spray to lightly spray the panko topping so it browns.
  • Bake the gratin for about an hour, or until the panko is browned, the sauce is bubbly, and the squash is tender. Let it sit for about 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/6 of recipeCalories: 324kcalCarbohydrates: 17.4gProtein: 9.8gFat: 15.6gSaturated Fat: 10.5gFiber: 3.7gSugar: 1.6g
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
1

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)

Homemade Recipes butternut squash, fall, fennel, thanksgiving, winter

More Posts from Homemade Recipes

  • How To Make Your Own Homemade Pasta

  • Spring fruit pavlova - Hello Veggie

    Easy Pavlova Recipe with Fresh Berries + Kiwi

  • Arugula-topped pesto pizza made with grain-free sweet potato crust

    This Healthy Sweet Potato Pizza Crust Is a Game-Changer

  • Homemade Vegan Cinnamon Rolls Recipe

  • Natural Homemade Ginger Ale

  • How To Make Red Cabbage Sauerkraut


Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Get updates + more!

Get the exclusive content you crave straight to your inbox.

Featured DIY

Essential oils to disinfect

These Are the Best Essential Oils to Disinfect Your Home

DIY Refrigerator Deodorizer Tabs Made with Essential Oils

How to repel spiders with essential oils

Get Rid of Spiders for Good with Essential Oils

5 Laundry Hacks to Make Your Life Easier

10 Green Cleaning Recipes With Castile Soap

More

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
  • Hello Glow
  • Hello Veggie

Copyright © 2023 · Seasoned Pro