Creamy Winter Squash Gratin

Kabocha squash has a pale green rind and light orange flesh. Substitute butternut squash or pumpkin if you have trouble finding kabocha. Prepare the gratin a day ahead and refrigerate; store the breadcrumb topping separately. Bake at 400° for 30 minutes or until heated through.

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: about 1 cup)

Ingredients

• 8  cups  cubed peeled kabocha squash (about 3 pounds)
• Cooking spray
• 2  teaspoons  butter
• 2  cups  thinly sliced leek (about 2 large)
• 1  teaspoon  salt
• 3 1/2  cups  1% low-fat milk
• 1/3  cup  all-purpose flour
• 1  cup  (4 ounces) shredded Gruyère cheese
• 1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4  teaspoon  ground nutmeg
• 2  (1-ounce) slices white bread
• 2  teaspoons  fresh chopped parsley
• 1  garlic clove, minced

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400°.

Arrange squash in a single layer on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 25 minutes or until the squash is tender.

Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add leek and salt; cook 4 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Combine milk and flour, stirring well with a whisk. Add milk mixture to pan; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute or until thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add cheese, pepper, and nutmeg; stir until cheese melts. Gently stir in squash. Spoon mixture into a 2-quart baking dish coated with cooking spray.

Place bread in a food processor; pulse 10 times or until coarse crumbs measure 1 1/4 cups. Add parsley and garlic; pulse twice to combine. Sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture evenly over squash mixture. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

222 (29% from fat)

Fat:

7.2g (sat 4.1g,mono 2.1g,poly 0.6g)

Protein:

10.6g

Carbohydrate:

31.2g

Fiber:

4.8g

Cholesterol:

22mg

Iron:

1.9mg

Sodium:

453mg

Calcium:

358mg