Thanksgiving is upon us, and if you have a pulse, you are probably looking forward to indulging those sugar and grain whims. I don’t blame you. But–hear me out–what if you could minimize the garbage intake and keep a few side dishes sugar and grain free? And what if those side dishes actually tasted GOOD? That’s what I’m hoping to help everyone with here, and this Acorn Squash Soufflé is no different. There is nary a grain or sugar granule in this recipe, and all the sweetness occurs from the natural starch in the acorn squash. Load it up with some spices, cream, and butter, and there you have a Thanksgiving side dish that’s much easier on the ol’ endocrine system.
For those of you don’t do dairy, you can replace the butter with coconut oil and the heavy cream with coconut cream. If you have a nut allergy, then replace the toasted pecan pieces used for the topping with toasted pumpkin seeds.
If you just GOTTA have the sweetened version of this dish, I get it. Knock yourself out with The Best Dang Candied Yams, which has a lesser amount of sugar than any candied yams recipe you’ll find bandied about on the interwebs.
Happy Thanksgiving, My Little Turkeys!
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Acorn Squash Soufflé
Ingredients
- 2-3 acorn squash, halved, seeds and pulp scraped out and discarded
- 2 eggs
- 2 tablepoons heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Coconut oil or butter for greasing the baking dish
- 1 cup pecan pieces for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a foil lined baking sheet, place acorn squash halves face down. Roast in oven 30-40 minutes, or until flesh of squash is soft and can be easily pierced with a fork. Let cool, then scoop out squash flesh into a large mixing bowl. Turn down oven to 350 degrees.
- In the mixing bowl, add to squash the eggs, heavy cream, melted butter, vanilla, cinnamon, allspice, and salt, mixing thoroughly with a whisk to break up all the chunks of squash into a smooth, even texture. Pour into a baking dish greased with coconut oil or butter. Cook in oven for 30 minutes, or until casserole is turning slightly golden brown on top. Meanwhile, toast pecan pieces in a sauté pan on medium high heat for 4-6 minutes, tossing often and being careful not to burn. Top casserole with toasted pecan pieces and serve.
I made this along with another recipe from this site and they both went over great. Thanks Anna!
I made this for Christmas dinner. We liked it! Thanks, Anna!
Jen, that’s makes me so happy to hear!!
XO
Anna
I made this along with another recipe from this site and they both went over great. Thanks Anna!
I love it!! Thanks for letting me know!
XOXO
Anna
Brought this to mom’s for the big dinner and it was way tastier than I expected it to be. Super simple, great flavor, will be making this again for myself. The toasted pecans were a great touch, and I didn’t need to dip into the candied yams
I have made this Acorn Soufflé over a dozen times. Each time it has turned out great. Our guests always love it, which surprises me considering how much healthier this dish is compared to others. We serve it along with our main dish or as desert. Thank you!
I love that one too!! And we’re getting into acorn squash season, so it’s time to bring this one back into the rotation!
XOXO
Anna
How does this recipe have “no reviews” per my Google search??! I’ve been making this EVERY Thanksgiving since the year it came out (and Christmas… and at least a couple Easters). I mean, it’s REALLY good. It’s like a pumpkin pie that’s socially acceptable to be served as a side instead of dessert (speaking of, ten cheers for Anna’s pumpkin pie, aka my #1 favorite dessert ever). Ok, this comment is distracting me from making my shopping list so I can actually eat all this amazing food. I don’t know how to make an official “review”, but yeah this^^ so very this.
Ha! Thank you for your kind words!! I know I have a review plug in, but not sure if it actually works. So thank you for your review, it means the world to me!! and happy thanksgiving!
XOXO
Anna
This was delicious thank you!
Kimberly, I’m so glad to hear it! Thanks for stopping by!
XOXO
Anna