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Butternut Squash Casserole

Butternut squash casserole with a creamy, smooth mash and a crunchy golden pecan streusel topping. Boiled squash is mashed until silky, baked until bubbling at the edges, and finished with a sweet buttery crumb.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Southern American
Calories: 310
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Butternut squash
  • 1 butternut squash Large (about 3 pounds), peeled and cubed
  • 0.25 lb butternut squash Used only as a portion reference—ignore if packaging lists whole squash
Butter
  • 0.5 cup butter Melted, divided
Brown sugar
  • 0.5 cup brown sugar Divided
Eggs
  • 2 eggs Large
Milk
  • 0.5 cup milk
Vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
Ground cinnamon
  • 0.5 tsp ground cinnamon
Salt
  • 0.5 tsp salt
All-purpose flour
  • 0.5 cup all-purpose flour
Pecans
  • 0.75 cup pecans Chopped

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Boil and prep the squash
  1. Boil the butternut squash for 15 minutes until very tender. Drain well so the casserole stays creamy instead of watery.
Preheat and mash
  1. Preheat the oven to 350F and grease a 9x13-inch baking dish. Have the dish ready before you spread the squash mixture.
  2. Mash the butternut squash with 1/4 cup melted butter, 1/4 cup brown sugar, eggs, milk, vanilla extract, ground cinnamon, and salt until smooth. Stop when the texture looks fully uniform with no visible chunks.
  3. Spread the mashed squash mixture into the prepared baking dish. Level the top so it bakes evenly.
Make the pecan streusel and bake
  1. Mix all-purpose flour, chopped pecans, the remaining butter, and the remaining brown sugar into a crumbly topping. The crumbs should hold together when pinched but still look dry and streaky.
  2. Sprinkle the pecan streusel evenly over the squash. Cover the entire surface so the topping bakes golden.
  3. Bake for 35-40 minutes at 350F until the topping is golden and the edges bubble. Rest 5 minutes before serving for cleaner scoops.

Notes

Pro tip: drain the boiled squash very well (and mash thoroughly) to keep the interior silky and not loose. Refrigerate covered up to 4 days; reheat in a 325F oven until warmed through. Freezing is not recommended because the creamy texture can get watery. For a lighter option, use reduced-fat milk and a plant-based butter substitute in the same amounts.