Pumpkin Caramelized Onion Gratin

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We love Julie at The Little Kitchen!  If you do not know her, you need to make friends with her.  Julie is one of the kindest and funniest food bloggers we have met.  When she invited us to her Friendsgiving table this year we knew we had to bring this pumpkin caramelized onion gratin.  

Those of you who are not familiar with Friendsgiving, it is a meal with a similar Thanksgiving menu that is shared with friends.  Usually, it is celebrated a couple of weeks before Thanksgiving.  We had hopes of hosting a Friendsgiving at our home this year but with schedules, it isn’t going to work out.  The next best thing is sharing this virtual Friendsgiving with food blogging friends and you, our wonderful readers.  

Gratins are one of our favorite wintertime side dishes;  gooey melted cheese goodness with every bite.  We did break all gratin rules with this recipe but breaking rules is what makes cooking fun.  Instead of potatoes, we used pumpkin but kabocha as well as butternut squash work really well too.  Instead of thinly slicing we cut the pieces of pumpkin into bite-sized pieces.  Then we used mascarpone, gruyere, and cheddar cheese because cheesy goodness is the base of a good gratin.

These are our food blogging friends who have joined this special Friendsgiving Virtual Potluck! Be sure to check out the recipes below for wonderful Friendsgiving and Thanksgiving recipes as well as some great craft ideas! 

Appetizers

Baked Brie with Honey & Walnuts from Kelley of Mountain Mama Cooks

Reindeer Bacon Cheddar Cheese Ball from Julie of Julie Blanner

Salads

Sauteed Kale and Brussels Sprout Salad with Cranberries and Walnuts from Shashi of Savory Spin

Creamy Brussels Sprouts Salad from Faith of An Edible Mosaic

Main Dishes

Savory Vegetable Crisp from Bree of Baked Bree

Rosemary Lamb Steaks from Danyelle of The Cubicle Chick

Turkey Pot Pie from Kelly of Eat Picks

Side Dishes

Fried Brussels Sprouts from Erin of The Almond Eater

Cheesy Horseradish Mashed Potato Casserole from Renee of Kudos Kitchen by Renee

Cranberry Cream Cheese Dip from April of April Golightly

Sauteed Garlic-Butter Mushrooms from Linda of Simply Healthyish Recipes

Easy Cheesy Hash Brown Casserole Recipe from Mel of Adventures of Mel

Cornbread Stuffing with Chorizo from Isabel of Isabel Eats

Bacon Brussels Sprouts from Kara of Kara J. Miller

Crockpot Sweet Potato Casserole from Jennifer of Show Me the Yummy

Amazing Gluten Free Thanksgiving Stuffing from Sommer of A Spicy Perspective

Pumpkin Caramelized Onion Gratin from Denise of Chez Us

Crockpot Mac & Cheese from Leanette Fernandez of Funtastic Life

Cheesy Brussels Sprouts au Gratin from Rachel Gurk of Rachel Cooks

Drinks

Spiced Pumpkin Margarita from Sharon of Cupcakes and Cutlery

Breads

Sourdough Pull Apart Rolls from Erica of Buttered Side Up

How to Make Homemade Butterhorn Rolls from Mel of Flour on My Fingers

Sweet Dinner Rolls from Jocelyn of Grandbaby Cakes

Desserts

Sugar Pie from Julie of The Little Kitchen

Oatmeal Apple Crisp from Julie of Peanut Butter Fingers

Pumpkin Pie Milkshake from Eden of Sugar and Charm

Strudel Pastry from Justine of The Typical Mom

Tahini Hawaij Pumpkin Pie from Amy of What Jew Wanna Eat

Turkey Cookies from Meaghan of The Decorated Cookie

Kabocha squash pie from Hilah of hilahcooking

Pecan Pie Cupcakes from Courtney of Pizzazzerie

Coconut Cream Pie from Schnelle of Brooklyn Active Mama

Chocolate chip cheesecake from Jeannette of Hispana Global

Chocolate Pecan Pie from Kate of I Heart Eating

Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes from Chelsea of Someday I’ll Learn

Turkey Donut Race Cars For Thanksgiving Treats from Theresa of Chewable Structures

Crafts and Centerpieces

Cinnamon Stick Holiday Candle Place Setting from Alli of Made with HAPPY

Metallic Pumpkin Luminaries from Amy of As The Bunny Hops

Easy centerpiece that will stun + party favor from Noelle of Oh Happy Play

 

Tip:

Peeling Squash

Peeling hard-skinned squash can be challenging.  Usually, we roast the squash and then cut the peel off before using it in whatever recipe we are making.  Found a hack on YouTube and it works great.  Pop the hard-skinned squash – tried with pumpkin and kabocha into the microwave and cook on high for 2 – 3 minutes, depending on how large it is.  Then cut in half and peel away.  It worked so well and the squash was not cooked at all.

Yield: 6 - 8 servings

Pumpkin Caramelized Onion Gratin

Print

Caramelized onions are folded with pieces of pumpkin and three types of cheese to make this creamy and flavorful side dish.

Prep Time 35 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Additional Time 10 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 3 1/2 pound pumpkin - with the seeds and skin removed it was just over 2 pounds, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup mascarpone cheese
• 1 cup gruyere cheese, grated
• 1 cup mild cheddar, grated
• 6 sage leaves, plus a few extras for garnish 
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• kosher salt to taste
• black pepper to taste

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350.

Lightly butter a baking dish with 1 tablespoon of butter.

Place the heavy cream in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and gently warm over low heat.  Remove from the heat and add 6 sage leaves - lightly crush the leaves with your hands before adding to the cream.  Stir and then set aside.

Place the 1 tablespoon of remaining olive oil along with the butter into a large frying pan over medium-low heat.  Add the onions, stir and cook over low heat for 20 - 25 minutes until tender and lightly caramelized.  Let cool for about 10 minutes.

Place the cubed pumpkin and cooled onions into a large mixing bowl.  
Sprinkle the flour over the pumpkin/onion mixture;  I used a fine sieve to do this.  Add the cheese to the bowl.

Stir the mascarpone into the cooled heavy cream and then pour the mixture into the large bowl with the pumpkin mixture.  Mix well.

Pour the pumpkin mixture into the prepared baking dish.  Bake for 45 - 60 minutes, until the pumpkin is very tender and the top is bubbly and melted.  
Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.  

Lightly fry some extra sage leaves in a little olive oil to garnish the top of the gratin.

Let sit for 10 minutes before eating.

Serve.

Eat.         

Did you make this recipe?

Thank you for joining us at the Chez Us table. We truly love having you here.Have you made this recipe?  Please share what recipes you are enjoying from Chez Us. We would love to see and be able to share with our followers. Use the hashtag #chezuseats on your social media channels, then we can pull a chair up to your virtual table and share with our friends.