Potato gratin and other gratins are usually made with heavy cream and starchy vegetables such as potatoes or sweet potatoes. Here's a low carb version of a gratin using butternut squash and either a nut or seed cream in place of the heavy cream.
This is a lighter gratin thanks to butternut squash and just enough creamy cashew cheese. If you want more of a cream sauce I recommend adding another ½ cup of cashew cheese to the squash. You can also make this dairy free by replacing the cheddar cheese with a plant-based cheddar or other plant-based cheese, or add more cashew cheese on top. I used a white, goat cheddar cheese, so if you use a yellow cheddar the dish will have a more yellow hue to it.
This dish is easy to prep ahead of time and bake when ready. You can slice up the butternut squash ahead of time, make the cashew cream cheese, and shred the cheddar cheese, and then bake when ready. Another shortcut is to use cubed or pre-sliced butternut squash.
I recommend keeping the gratin to just a few layers of butternut squash so it cooks through without a lot of baking time. My 9 inch by 13 inch baking dish works well here, or you can use a larger baking dish or baking sheet if you need to spread out the layers. And follow my foil tenting trick to cook the squash. Enjoy!
Butternut Squash Gratin
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds Butternut squash slices about a 2 pound butternut squash trimmed, peeled, and sliced into ¼ inch thick slices
- 1 cup cashew cream or sunflower seed cream (recipes below)
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 3 tablespoons oil or unsalted butter
- 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
- ¼ cup sage leaves optional
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 F.
- Rub the inside of a 9 inch by 11 inch baking dish with 1 tablespoon of oil.
- Place the squash, cashew cream, nutmeg, and oil into a large bowl and blend with a spatula to coat the squash.
- If you're adding sage leaves, add them to a skillet with some oil and a pinch of salt and fry for a few minutes.
- Fold the squash into the baking dish in layers. Sprinkle the grated cheddar cheese over the squash. Optionally, cut small pieces of sage leaves on top of the cheese.
- Cover the baking dish lightly by making a foil tent over the dish. Bake for 20 minutes with the foil, or until a fork easily slides into a piece of squash.
- Take the foil top off and bake another 5 minutes.
- Serve hot. Store in the refrigerator for a few days.
Nutrition
Cashew Cream Cheese
Equipment
- High speed blender
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw cashews, soaked in hot water for 10 minutes or room temperature water overnight
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- â…“ cup water, plus more as needed
Instructions
- Add the cashews, lemon juice, and salt to a food processor. Add about ¼ cup of water and blend until smooth. Add more water in small amounts until you have the desired consistency.
- Use a spatula to scrape down the sides in between processing. If you prefer the cheese a bit thinner, add water gradually until it's at the thickness you prefer.
- Store in the refrigerator for a week or so.
Nutrition
Sunflower Seed Cream Cheese
Equipment
- High speed blender
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw sunflower seeds unsalted, no additives; soaked in boiling hot water for at least 10 minutes
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- â…“ cup water plus more as needed
Instructions
- Add the sunflower seeds, lemon juice, and salt to a food processor. Add about ¼ cup of water and blend until smooth. Add more water in small amounts until you have the desired consistency.
- Use a spatula to scrape down the sides between blending. Continue to add water until it's the thickness you prefer.
- Store in the refrigerator for a week or so.
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