Cinnamon Maple Squash Casserole
on Nov 21, 2016, Updated Aug 25, 2024
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Instead of sweet potato casserole this year, try this gluten free, refined sugar free, Cinnamon Maple Squash Casserole instead. Everything you love about the traditional version, but without all the sugar and calories!
Four more days until we loosen our belts, put on our stretchy pants and stuff ourselves to the point of bursting. Only in America is there a holiday where seeing how much you can eat in one meal is celebrated.
I know, I know, that’s not the reason we celebrate Thanksgiving, but food is definitely a big part of this holiday. Before your menu is set in stone I have one more incredible side dish that you don’t want to pass up, Cinnamon Maple Squash Casserole!
Cinnamon Maple Squash Casserole is my spin on sweet potato casserole. I thought about sticking with the traditional sweet potato version, but everyone has a recipe for that. Winter squash is where it’s at this time of year my friends!
The great thing about this squash casserole is you can use any variety of winter squash you want or can find. I used butternut and delicata squash, but acorn, kabocha or sugar pie pumpkins would also work…just don’t try spaghetti squash, you’ll probably be disappointed.
Another great thing about this cinnamon maple squash casserole is that it’s not an overly sweet sugar bomb like so many of the sweet potato casseroles are. This casserole is gluten free, refined sugar free and uses Greek yogurt.
Along with cutting out a lot of fat, the Greek yogurt adds creaminess and a little tang to the squash filling along with some extra protein. Whenever I’m serving a carb heavy meal, Thanksgiving being the carbiest of them all, I like to sneak in some extra protein where ever I can.
I know a lot of people are stuck on the marshmallow topping for this type of casserole, but this is a side dish not dessert. Dessert comes in the form of pie after we’ve made it through round one of stuffing ourselves. We have to pace ourselves on the sugar or we’ll never make it.
The topping on the squash casserole is a streusel and while it’s sweet, it’s not pure sugar like the marshmallows. To keep the topping gluten free I used gluten free oats, almond meal and pecans. It’s sweetened with a modest amount of maple syrup and a little butter to make those streusel crumbles we all love so much.
If you’re looking for a new and healthier side dish to make this holiday season, look no further than this Cinnamon Maple Squash Casserole. This recipe was developed for the American Dairy Association and I didn’t want to miss the chance to share it with you this holiday season. Make sure to visit Drink-Milk.com for more delicious dairy recipes!
Cinnamon Maple Squash Casserole
Ingredients
Squash Casserole
- 3 pounds squash, peeled and cut into approximately 1 inch cubes, I used butternut and delicata squash
- 5 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1 egg
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg freshly grated if possible
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- Pinch of kosher salt
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
Streusel Topping
- 1/2 cup gluten free rolled oats
- 1/3 cup toasted chopped pecans
- 3 tablespoons almond flour
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Pinch of kosher salt
- 1 1/2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cubed
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
Instructions
Streusel Topping
- In a bowl combine the oats, pecans, almond flour, cinnamon and salt.
- Add in the cold cubed butter and maple syrup and work the mixture together until small crumbles form.
- Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
Squash Casserole
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray an 8x8 baking dish or similar size with cooking oil.
- Add the cubed squash to a large pot, cover it with water and bring to a boil.
- Once boiling, lower the heat to medium-low and simmer for approximately 20 minutes or until the squash is tender.
- Drain the squash and cool for 5 minutes.
- Add the squash to the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment in place or put it in a large bowl if using a handheld mixer.
- Add the cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, salt and maple syrup to the squash and beat on medium speed until smooth.
- Add in the egg and beat for another minute or until fully incorporated.
- Add in the Greek yogurt and beat for another minute.
- Pour the squash mixture into the prepared baking dish and top evenly with the streusel.
- Bake for 35-45 minutes or until hot and starting to brown around the edges.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Thanks to my friends at ADA Mideast for sponsoring this post. As always all opinions are my own.
Squash is my fav! Love the crumble you added. Perfect! :)
Love everything about this cinnamon maple squash casserole! I’d prefer this so much more than the other sugar-filled counterpart. I bet this smells so amazing baking in the oven.
Looks delicious! Nice and sweet, I can definitely imagine this being on our dinner table… But I thought that maple syrup counted as sugar too? So many different stories going around.
Hi Vivian,
Maple syrup is a sugar, but it is a natural sweetener rather than a refined sugar. It hasn’t gone through a refining/chemical process like some. Everything in moderation! :-)
This is definitely going to be added to my Thanksgiving menu! Delicious!