Creamy Spinach and Butternut Squash Casserole
Try this Creamy Spinach and Butternut Squash Casserole recipe, or contribute your own.
Try this Creamy Spinach and Butternut Squash Casserole recipe, or contribute your own.
- 2 cups baby spinach
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 2 10 oz bags frozen butternut squash
- 1 8 oz pckg cream cheese*
- 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
- 1 to 2 c. milk*- i used cashew milk because i always
- 1/2 cup 5 italian white cheese blend*
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp fresh thyme to garnish
- *use low fat options if you are counting calories
- Carbohydrate 6.08505250000365 g
- Cholesterol 88.103125013081 mg
- Fat 33.8854312549349 g
- Fiber 2.10540006065369 g
- Protein 32.4345537500517 g
- Saturated Fat 21.2657350031253 g
- Serving Size 1 1 recipe (161g)
- Sodium 3230.74400003504 mg
- Sugar 3.97965243934996 g
- Trans Fat 1.38406625034547 g
- Calories 454 calories
Step-by-step
- Heat oven to 350
- In a saucepan melt butter, cream cheese, and milk and bring to a low simmer. Begin with 1 cup of milk and if the sauce becomes too thick, add an extra ¼ cup at a time but no more than 2 cups total.
- Stir constantly until the cream cheese is completely melted.
- Sprinkle in shredded parmesan cheese slowly, allowing it to melt while you stir. This prevents major cheese clumping.
- Fold in spinach 1 cup at a time until all of the leaves are wilted and cheese covered.
- Using two medium baking dishes, assemble the casserole by layering the frozen butternut squash and sprinkling with the smoked paprika, garlic powder and salt, followed by a handful of the italian cheese blend.
- Cover in half of the cheese sauce, layer more squash and seasoning followed by the rest of the cheese sauce. Top with the more shredded parmesan cheese.
- Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Garnish with fresh thyme.
- Remove foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes. Broil for just a few minutes to achieve optimal cheese browning and/or bubbling.
The ingredient list provides quantities, but it omits how the high moisture content of frozen butternut squash dictates your scaling strategy. When expanding this recipe past a standard medium baking dish, moisture accumulates rapidly, which dilutes the cheese sauce and prevents proper browning. Doubling the batch requires switching to a wide, shallow roasting pan rather than simply piling ingredients deeper, because surface area exposure is critical for evaporation during the final ten minutes uncovered at 350 degrees.
Scaling down is equally mechanical. Halving the sauce components means reducing the initial milk volume to one-half cup and watching the dairy closely, as smaller liquid volumes scorch against the saucepan bottom within seconds of reaching a low simmer. Whisk continuously with a silicone spatula rather than a spoon to ensure the cream cheese incorporates fully without clinging to the metal edges.
Dietary adaptations alter the thickening behavior of the base significantly. Substituting whole milk with thinner plant-based alternatives like unsweetened cashew or almond milk lowers the fat content, but it requires a reduction in total liquid volume by roughly two tablespoons to maintain a coating consistency on the spinach leaves. Low-fat cream cheese brands contain more water and stabilizers, meaning the sauce may appear slightly separated before the parmesan is added; slow, continuous stirring over low heat resolves this visual defect.
Leftover portions store safely in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days. Reheat individual portions in an oven at 325 degrees for fifteen minutes rather than using a microwave, which releases the squash's trapped water and breaks the emulsified cheese sauce into an oily layer.
