Favorite Sweet Spiced Winter Squash Casserole Recipe (Dairy-Free) (2024)

Today, I have a “twofer” for you – that’s right! Today is World Diabetes Dayand it is Food Network’s Thanksgiving Communal Table feast!

When my friend Carolyn of All Day I Dream About Food asked if I would help raise awareness bout diabetes, I immediately said “yes!” You see, diabetes is one of the top causes of death in the United States, and both my brother and father are now pre-diabetic, so I have taken a keener interest in learning about foods to help control and fight diabetes.

Here are some quick statistics on diabetes (Source: American Diabetes Association)

• 25.8 million children and adults in the United States have diabetes – that’s 8.3% of the population, including 7 million people that go undiagnosed.
• 79 million people have prediabetes (precursor to diabetes)
• 1.9 million new cases of diabetes were diagnosed in people age 20 years and older in 2010
• 25.6 million, or 11.3% of all people 20 years or older have diabetes
• 10.9 million, or 26.9% of all people 65 years or older have diabetes

Those numbers are astounding! Just think about that – more than a quarter of the U.S. population will have diabetes by the time they are 65 years old or older.

The good news is that it is possible to manage Type 2 Diabetes through lifestyle management such as diet and exercise. Managing glucose levels is critical, so it’s important to choose foods that keep blood sugar steady. Often, people focus on limiting carbohydrates in their diet when they are diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes, but as my friend and nutritionist Lisa Corrado pointed out in her guest post on How To Eat Healthy When You Have Diabetes, not all carbohydrates are “bad” foods for people with diabetes. Although simple carbohydrates such as cookies, candy, white flour breads and pastas should be kept to a minimum, the fiber in healthy, complex carbohydrates, such as whole grains, fresh vegetables and fruits, and beans helps keep blood sugar steady (plus they’re full of nutrients and are just plain healthier).

Although winter squash is thought of as a starchy vegetable, recent research shows that not all starch is created equally. Apparently, the starch content of winter squash has some key health benefits. According to the World’s Healthiest Foods, “many of the carbs in winter starch come from polysaccharides found in the cell walls. These polysaccharides include pectins…(which) have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, as well as anti-diabetic and insulin-regulating properties.” Winter squash is also an excellent source of vitamin A, vitamin C, and a good source of fiber, manganese and vitamin B6.

For today’s duo event, I am sharing a slightly healthier Winter Squash Casserole that I’ve adapted to be gluten-free and dairy-free. For years, this was a favorite side dish at our middle school’s annual Teacher Appreciation Luncheon. The first year this casserole dish was introduced at the luncheon, it was such a hit, that the following year, we made big batches of it so all the teachers could enjoy it.

Although typically, this casserole recipe is made with butternut squash, it can be made with just about any orange winter squash. I’d been getting lots of different winter squash in my CSA Box over the weeks – Carnival Squash, Acorn Squash and Butternut Squash, and was trying to figure out how to use it all up. My kids aren’t crazy about winter squash so I’m always trying to sneak it into soups (pureed), curries, and this winter squash casserole.

A few weeks ago, I made a pre-Thanksgiving dinner for a family in town and extra for my kids. Thanksgiving dinner is one of my kids’ favorites, so when they found out I was treating them to a Thanksgiving feast one Friday night, they were thrilled. When they asked what this orange puree dish was, I told them it was squash casserole and I was met with skeptical stares. I even put them in the squash shells to make it look prettier, but that didn’t fool them. But…one taste, and they were won over. Of course, it didn’t hurt that this casserole was spiced up with cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg, almost like having pumpkin pie for dinner. Note: I used maple syrup when I made this casserole for my family, so substitute a diabetic friendly sweetener if desired. My friend Carolyn suggests Swerve.

Feedback from the family on this Winter Squash Casserole – “That was the Bomb!” and should be our Thanksgiving menu every year!

Every scoop of this Winter Squash Casserole was eaten.

Please be sure to pop by my friend Carolyn’s blog, All Day I Dream About Food to enter her giveaway – a Blue KitchenAid Stand Mixer (blue is the color of diabetes awareness) and to see what everyone else made for World Diabetes Day.

And, I know you’ll want to pop by these wonderful blogs to see what they cooked up for today’s Food Network’s Thanksgiving Communal Table feast!

co*cktails, Appetizers, Salads and Breads:
Haute Apple Pie: Apple Jack
Cooking With Books: Spiced Couscous and Walnut Salad
Mooshu Jenne: Honey Bacon Potato Pops
Food For My Family: Roasted Beet and Lacinato Kale Salad With Lemon Vinaigrette
Big Girls, Small Kitchen: Super Seeded Cornbread

Main:
FN Dish: Black Pepper-Pomegranate Molasses Glazed Turkey

Sides:
Feed Me Phoebe: Cornbread and Wild Rice Stuffing With Hazelnuts and Cranberries
Napa Farmhouse 1885: Chorizo, Cornbread and Tortilla Dressing
Sweet Life: Apple Chorizo Cornbread Stuffing
And Love It, Too: Paleo Green Bean Casserole
Jeanette’s Healthy Living: Sweet Spiced Winter Squash Casserole
Red or Green?: Corn, Peppers and Onion Saute
Simple Bites: Honey Pomegranate Glazed Brussels Sprouts
Virtually Homemade: Fresh Orange and Cranberry Sauce With Toasted Walnuts
What’s Gaby Cooking: Sweet Potato Gratin
The Heritage Cook: Cauliflower Gratin
Creative Culinary: Creamy Mushroom Bake With Parmesan and Panko
Bacon and Souffle: Spicy Carnival Squash

Desserts:
I Am Baker: Pumpkin Bars in a Jar
Add a Pinch: Caramel Pie
Chez Us: Pumpkin Cheesecake With Chocolate Swirls
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For another low-carb winter squash casserole recipe, check out this Savory Butternut Squash Casserole I made last Thanksgiving.