Honeynut Squash, Leek, and Brie Gratin

Our favorite honeynut squash recipe is this creamy, decadent gratin. It's the perfect vegetarian dinner when the weather starts to get cooler—it also makes a perfect side dish for all kinds of meals. Made with sweet honeynut squash, creamy leeks, and mild, buttery cubes of Brie cheese, it's a tempting casserole for two to share. 

Broken pieces of no-bake lasagna noodles are layered along with the squash and cheese, giving the dish added texture. Bonus: this recipe doesn't use the careful shingling process found in some potato gratins—its a much more easy-going dish that's quicker to put together. Once the gratin goes into the oven, all you need to complete dinner is a quick side salad with a bold vinaigrette.

What Are Honeynut Squash?

You may have seen honeynut squash at your local farmers' market or grocery store. They look like miniature butternut squash. The honeynut squash is the result of an experiment (and friendly competition) between Michael Mazourek, a plant breeder and associate professor at Cornell University, and Dan Barner, the chef and co-owner of Blue Hill at Stone Barns in New York.

Honeynut squash was cultivated in an attempt to create the most delicious winter squash. In terms of flavor, it’s almost as if a butternut squash was condensed in both size and flavor. Weighing in at about the size of a sweet potato, the bright orange flesh and sweet, nutty flavor of the honeynut squash is perfect for any of your favorite winter squash recipes.

How to Prep Honeynut Squash

Like some other winter squash varieties, honeynut squash skin is actually edible. Its skin is quite thin (more like delicata squash than butternut) but for this recipe, we do peel it. This keeps everything nice and creamy, which is what a gratin is all about. Here’s how to peel and prep honeynut squash for this gratin recipe:

1. Gather tools: Start by securing your cutting board–stabilize it by placing a non-slip mat or a few layers of damp paper towels underneath. Then, grab a vegetable peeler, sharp chef’s knife, and a spoon. 
2. Peel the squash: Holding the squash in the palm of your hand (yes, they’re that small!), run the blade of the vegetable peeler down the length of the squash to remove the peel, exposing the orange flesh. 
3. Cut in half: Using your chef’s knife, cut the squash all the way through from top to bottom and separate the halves. 
4. Scoop out the seeds: Use a small spoon to scoop out the seeds. Discard them or save them to roast and enjoy as a snack. 
5. Slice the squash: Place the squash halves, flat-sides down, on the cutting board. Use your chef’s knife to cut the squash crosswise into roughly ¼-inch thick slices.

Ingredient Substitutions

One reason we love this gratin recipe so much is that it’s adaptable. Here are some suggested swaps: 

• Honeynut squash: If you can’t find honeynut squash, choose an another squash that is similar in both size and flavor. Delicata squash or sweet potatoes are the closest swaps, but acorn squash or a small butternut squash will also work. 
• Brie: Triple crème cheeses like Brie are ultra-creamy, but other creamy cheeses will melt just as well in this gratin. Camembert has a slightly funkier flavor, but a very similar texture. A goat cheese will also work. 
• Vermouth: The French aperitif wine vermouth adds incredible flavor to this dish, but an equal amount of dry white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc, is a good substitute. 
• Leeks: Don’t have leeks on hand? You can use yellow or red onions or shallots instead.