Brown Butter Butternut Squash Casserole with caramelized onions and a buttery cracker crust is a fall recipe that’s absolutely incredible! It’s perfect for Thanksgiving, yet so good you’ll want to make it all year long.
Serve it with Air Fryer Roasted Chicken and Crispy Green Beans, and you’ll have a delicious, wholesome meal your friends and family will love.
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Full disclosure: this casserole is so good that it might just take center stage among all the sides at Thanksgiving. Everyone knows that the turkey or the honey-baked ham is not the star of that food-centric holiday because it’s all about the side dishes!
Brown Butter Butternut Squash Casserole is a wonderful addition to any Thanksgiving Day menu. I”ve combined the browned butter, squash, and onions, then added in my own touches of dried thyme and a Ritz cracker topping. After baking the casserole for an hour, my house was filled with a mouthwatering aroma that assured me this was going to be one special side dish.
Brown Butter Butternut Squash Casserole Ingredients
Even though this recipe has just seven ingredients, they fit together perfectly and make a flavor-loaded dish.
- Brown butter – with a little patience, making browned butter is easy and adds a rich, deep taste to the casserole.
- For the casserole – onion, butternut squash, Ritz crackers.
- The seasoning – dried thyme, kosher salt, and black pepper.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and measurements.
Variations And Additions
- For sweetness, add maple syrup or honey and toss in with the onions and squash.
- Cinnamon and nutmeg bring great, warm flavor.
- Add grated Parmesan cheese to the butter cracker topping for extra savoriness.
How To Make Butternut Squash Casserole
- Place the squash (cut into about 1-inch cubes) into a 9″ deep-dish pie pan or 8×8 casserole dish. Next, melt a tablespoon of butter in a medium-sized skillet. Add onions and cook on medium-low heat until golden brown. Add the onions to the squash. Make the brown butter, and pour it over the butternut squash and onions, then toss. Sprinkle on thyme, salt, and pepper. Cover and bake for 50 minutes.
- Crush a sleeve of Ritz butter crackers. Remove the casserole from the oven and sprinkle the crackers over the top. Return the dish to the oven uncovered and cook until the crackers are golden brown. Let casserole cool for 5 minutes and serve!
How To Make Brown Butter
Add butter to a skillet, and cook on medium-low heat, stirring constantly until it begins to brown. This should take about 3 to 4 minutes. The butter will foam and separate, so be careful to watch it. It should brown, not burn. If it does burn, you’ll need to start over.
Recipe Questions And Answers
Cutting this hard, dense vegetable can be challenging, so take your time. First, use a sharp knife and cut off the ends. Next, use a vegetable peeler to remove the skin. Stand the squash upright and cut all the way through, from top to bottom. Lastly, scrape out the seeds, then cut the squash into chunks.
Yep, you sure can. Make the casserole, bake, and cool. Cover and store in the fridge. Add the cracker topping to serve, and bake until heated through and the topping is golden brown.
Cover the casserole with plastic wrap or aluminum foil, or place the leftovers in an airtight container, and store in the fridge for up to 3 days. To serve, reheat in the oven or microwave.
Craving More? Try These Side Dish Recipes
- BEST Stuffed Baked Potatoes
- Instant Pot Garlic and Herb Rice
- Southern Style Green Beans
- Crock Pot Creamed Corn
- Deviled Egg Pasta Salad
If you tried this Brown Butter Butternut Squash Casserole Recipe or any other recipe, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. Thanks!
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds butternut squash – cut into 1-inch cubes
- 6 tablespoons butter – unsalted
- 1 small to medium onion – minced
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon Kosher
- ¼ teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
- 1 sleeve butter crackers – crushed, about 15 crackers (I used Ritz)
Instructions
- Heat oven to 375 degrees. Place cubed squash in casserole dish. Set aside.
- Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of butter to melt. Add minced onion and cook until golden brown, approximately 6 to 8 minutes. Pour onions over squash and toss to mix.
- Return the skillet to heat and add the remaining 5 tablespoons of butter. Cook on medium heat until the butter begins to brown, about 3 to 4 minutes. Butter will foam and separate, watch carefully, making sure not to burn. Pour over squash and onions.
- Sprinkle on dried thyme, salt and pepper. Stir all ingredients to mix. Cover dish with foil and place in oven. Cook for 50 minutes. Remove dish from oven.
- Sprinkle crushed crackers on top of the butternut squash. Return to oven and continue to cook for an additional 15 minutes, until the topping is golden.
- Remove casserole from oven. Let cool for 5 minutes then serve.
Notes
- To Make Ahead: Make the casserole, bake, and cool. Cover and store in the fridge. Add the cracker topping to serve, and bake until heated through and the topping is golden brown.
- For Leftovers: Cover the casserole with plastic wrap or aluminum foil, or place the leftovers in an airtight container, and store in the fridge for up to 3 days. To serve, reheat in the oven or microwave.
Nutrition
More Thanksgiving Classics
If you’re looking for more ideas to help you celebrate the season, I’ve got you covered. These easy-to-make, showstopping side dishes are destined to become family favorites in no time!
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Marje
Wasn’t sure about this; butternut never seemed to have much flavor. This, however, is really an excellent recipe! The thyme really elevates the depth of flavor, and the texture is great. I added a couple of cranks on the nutmeg grinder, and used homemade butter. Yum! Even my guys said it was more like potatoes than squash. They ate it all. We will definitely keep this recipe towards the top of our favorites list.
Thanks so much, Marje!
~Donya
Kathie
Very easy to make and delicious. New Thanksgiving side dish for sure. Thank you!
Gloria
Can I make this without cracker topping or can I use Panko Crumbs instead?
Sure – it will turn out great.
~Donya
katherine
Can you make it a day ahead of Thanksgiving?
Donya
Hey there Katherine!
Thank you so much for your interest in this recipe, I think it’ll make a wonderful addition to Thanksgiving! You can absolutely make this recipe ahead of time. My recommendation is to do all of the prep work the day before and then on the day of Thanksgiving you can just bake it and enjoy. I hope this is helpful, let me know how everything turns out, I’d love to hear what you think!
~Donya
Sophie
This casserole turned out so good! I am not a squash lover at all, but have had good experiences with butternut squash in the past so I thought I would give this one a shot for Thanksgiving. I tested it on my crew here and it was a success all around! I’ll definitely make this for the holiday and find a gluten free solution for the topping for my sister in law who cannot tolerate the stuff at all! Thanks for a winner of a dish that should make everyone happy. Woohoo!
Donya
Hey there Sophie!
Wow! I am so incredibly pleased to hear y’all liked this recipe! Squash can be one of those hit or miss ingredients for most people, so I’m glad your family enjoyed this version, I’m sure it’ll be a hit at Thanksgiving. Thank you so much for your support, if you have any questions about recipes as Thanksgiving approaches, feel free to reach out! Have a great day!
~Donya
JoAn
Delicious and easy to make. I will make it again.
Wonderful, JoAn. Thanks so much.
Have a great day,
~Donya