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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 but it’s so good you’ll want to make it all year long.
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 is not really the star of that food-centric holiday because it’s actually all about the side dishes! This new dish is going to be a wonderful addition to my Thanksgiving Day menu this year and my guests are sure to love it.
I was inspired to make my version of this casserole after watching a cooking show on tv. I’ve never been much of a fan of butternut squash, mostly because it’s such a pain to prep. Now that most grocery stores sell prepared squash that’s peeled and cut into chunks, all of my excuses have been thrown out the window. What intrigued me most about the recipe was the brown butter and the caramelized onions. Those are two amazing ingredients on their own and I knew that combining them with the slightly sweet, mild squash would be amazing. I combined the browned butter, squash, onions then added in my own touches of dried thyme and a Ritz cracker topping. After baking the casserole for an hour, my house had filled with a mouthwatering aroma that assured me this was going to be one special side dish. Man, oh man, was I right!
What You’ll Need To Make Brown Butter Butternut Squash Casserole
- Butter
- Onion
- Butternut Squash
- Dried Thyme
- Ritz Crackers
- Salt & Pepper
How To Make Brown Butter Butternut Squash Casserole
This casserole is easy to make but there are a couple of critical steps that must be done correctly for the dish to turn out. First, 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-size skillet. Add in the onions and cook on medium-low heat until they are golden brown, about 6 to 8 minutes. Add the onions to the squash.
Now it’s time to brown the butter. This takes a little bit of time and mostly patience. Add the remaining butter to the skillet and have heat set to medium. Cook the butter until it begins to brown, 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. Pour the butter over the butternut squash and onions and toss. Sprinkle on thyme, salt, and pepper. Cover casserole and bake for 50 minutes.
Lastly, crush a sleeve of Ritz butter crackers. Remove the casserole from the oven and sprinkle the crackers over the top. Return dish to the oven uncovered and cook an additional 15 minutes until crackers are golden brown. Let casserole cool for 5 minutes and serve!
Want More Great Side Dishes To Serve During The Holidays? Oh, Wait, You Can Serve These Recipes All Year Long!
- Twice Baked Potato Casserole
- Instant Pot Garlic and Herb Rice
- Southern Style Green Beans
- Cheese Grits Casserole
- Squash Casserole
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 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. Uncover and sprinkle crushed crackers on top of butternut squash. Return to oven and continue to cook for an additional 15 minutes, until topping is golden.
- Remove casserole from oven. Let cool for 5 minutes then serve.
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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Can you make it a day ahead of Thanksgiving?
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
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!
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
Delicious and easy to make. I will make it again.
Wonderful, JoAn. Thanks so much.
Have a great day,
~Donya