Squash, Bacon and Onion Gratin

My girl Shaina, passed this recipe on to me after tasting it at a friend's house and hearing that I had picked up a bunch of butternut squash during a great sale. It took me a few weeks to get my butt in gear and get it made, but I finally got around to making it last week for our first dinner party of the holiday season.

This was so yummy. It is a little time consuming, with peeling the squash. It is definitely a recipe I'd love to make once I'm rich and famous with my very own cooking show and can force my hired help to do all the prep work for me! For now, I'll just make it on days when I have a lot of patience :)

Squash, Pear, and Onion au Gratin

1 ¹/₂ pounds butternut squash

1 red onion, sliced and separated into rings

1 T butter

1 medium apple, thinly sliced

3 T dry bread crumbs

4 slices of bacon, crisp-cooked, drained, and crumbled

2 T chopped pecans

1 T grated Parmasan cheese

1 T melted butter

Peel squash, slice crosswise into ¹/₂ –inch slices. (If using butternut squash, first cut the squash in half lengthwise.) Remove and discard seeds. Set squash aside.

Cook onion rings in the 1 tablespoon hot butter for 5 to 10 minutes or until tender.

Arrange half of the squash slices in the bottom of a greased 8x8x2-inch baking dish. Top with half of the apple slices.

Repeat layers. Sprinkle lightly with salt. I would recommend cooking a bit more bacon and onion than the recipe calls for and putting some in between the layers for added flavour.

Cover with the cooked onions.

Bake, covered, in a 350^o oven about 45 minutes or until nearly tender.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine bread crumbs, bacon, pecans, cheese, and the 1 tablespoon melted butter; sprinkle over vegetables after initial 45 minutes.
Bake, uncovered, about 15 minutes more or until tender.

I forgot to get a pic when it came out of the oven (I tend to get a little frazzled when I'm hosting for company) but I managed to sneak a photo of an untouched corner when I was cleaning up after the meal!

Makes 4-6 servings.

This recipe is being shared at Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Tuesday's at the Table and Tasty Tuesday.