This is one recipe that I knew needed to make the holiday cut this year, for a rather personal reason – I keep losing it. I’ve made this many times, but I can never remember if the original contains sweet potatoes or kale, or some crazy mix of cheese. And that makes it very difficult to track it down in google.
At last, I’m happily putting this recipe online, where it will never again go missing. And where I can share with you the fact that this really is a fantastic holiday recipe. It’s crowd-pleasing, vegetarian friendly, and can be made ahead – a holiday trifecta. 
Despite my forgetfulness about the origins of the recipe (and my laziness in simply printing a copy years ago), it’s always the first to come to mind this time of year. This recipe was one of those that defined an entire winter season when I was living alone in my mid-20s. I’d invite friends over for dinner and serve just this and a salad. It seemed like a grown-up sort of thing to serve, full of thinly sliced vegetables, coming to the table hot and bubbling and smelling like heaven, when only I knew that I had made it 2 days earlier and stashed it in the fridge.
I’ve made this in countless variations. This year I combined butternut squash and sweet potato which made for pretty layers, but either one would shine on its own as well.
I still don’t own a mandolin (a reality which bites me in the booty every year when I find myself trying to uniformly slice butternut squash with a knife), but a mandolin makes quick work of the prep for this dish.
This will likely go fast, but I can guarantee that you’ll want to keep any left-overs for yourself.
PrintButternut Squash and Creamed-Spinach Gratin
- Total Time: 75 minutes
- Yield: 8-10 servings 1x
Description
This Butternut Squash and Creamed Spinach Gratin is a savory, layered dish featuring creamy spinach, tender squash, and a cheesy topping, perfect for holiday gatherings.
Ingredients
- 3 pounds fresh spinach, stems discarded, or 3 (10-ounce) packages frozen leaf spinach, thawed
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus additional for greasing pan
- 3/4 cup finely chopped onion (1 small)
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 2 pounds butternut squash, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1 cup grated Gruyère cheese
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- If using fresh spinach, bring 1 inch of water to a boil in a 6- to 8-quart pot over high heat. Add spinach, a few handfuls at a time, and cook, turning with tongs, until wilted, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain in a colander, pressing out excess liquid, then coarsely chop.
- If using thawed frozen spinach, squeeze out as much water as possible and coarsely chop.
- Melt 5 tablespoons butter in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft and translucent, about 8 minutes.
- Add cream, milk, salt, pepper, and nutmeg to the skillet and bring to a simmer. Stir in spinach and remove from heat.
- Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Grease a 3-quart baking dish with butter.
- Layer half of the butternut squash and sweet potatoes in the prepared baking dish. Spread half of the spinach mixture over the top and sprinkle with half of the Gruyère and Parmesan cheeses.
- Repeat layering with remaining squash, sweet potatoes, spinach mixture, and cheeses.
- Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking until the top is golden brown and bubbling, about 15 minutes more.
- Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
This dish can be made up to 2 days in advance and stored in the refrigerator. Reheat before serving. A mandolin can help achieve uniform slices of squash and sweet potatoes. Leftovers are delicious and can be kept for yourself.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Side Dish
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 250
- Sugar: 6
- Sodium: 400
- Fat: 15
- Carbohydrates: 20
- Fiber: 4
- Protein: 10
- Cholesterol: 45
