Squash Casserole

Squash Casserole is a vegetarian side dish that I make throughout the year for holiday gatherings and as a weeknight side dish to accompany baked chicken. I often substitute zucchini when I don’t have yellow squash in the refrigerator, so if you’re not a yellow squash fan consider making this delicious dish, Zucchini and Carrot Casserole.

I always serve Squash Casserole at family gatherings such as Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas, but this isn’t the recipe that I grew up being served. My granny and mother both used Pepperidge Farm Stuffing in their Squash Casserole. It was delicious, but it has a very strong flavor that in my opinion overpowers the squash and many of the other items that I eat after the squash casserole. I always felt like the flavor of the stuffing stayed on my palate for the rest of the meal.

Over the years I’ve revamped the family recipe and now use buttery Ritz crackers and sharp cheddar cheese. If you’re looking for a low carb, Keto friendly dish then leave out the crackers and top it with more cheese. I love carrots and onions in my squash casserole so I kept those elements, but I don’t grate the carrots. I use a half of a bag of baby carrots and slice them into small round pieces. If you prefer, grate a couple of large carrots instead.

This recipe does include mayonnaise. I am married to a lifelong, card carrying mayonnaise hater, but he loves this dish, so even if you aren’t fond of mayo I would try it. The quantity of mayonnaise is so little compared to the sour cream, but you can substitute the mayonnaise for more sour cream or even plain Greek yogurt.

I like the consistency of this Squash Casserole to be creamy, so I start the casserole with 1/4 cup of sour cream and 1/4 cup of mayonnaise and if it seems like it’s not creamy enough I add in a little more sour cream.

This dish is one that our family loves and I hope that your family will too. Please leave me a comment below, and for daily updates follow @lifeabovethecafe on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest using the social media icons found on this page.

Ingredients:

• 5 large yellow squash, diced
• 1/2 bag of baby carrots, diced (or 2 large carrots)
• 1 medium white or yellow onion, diced (about 1/2 – 3/4 cup)
• 1/2 tsp. of salt for water
• 1/4 tsp. of pepper for water
• 1 sleeve of Ritz crackers, crushed
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup of sharp cheddar cheese, divided
• 1/4 cup of mayonnaise
• 1/4 – 1/3 cup of sour cream
• 1/8 – 1/4 tsp. of salt and pepper for casserole (remember that the crackers are salted)

Directions:

Wash and prep all of the vegetables.  I quarter the large portion of the squash and half the crook neck rounds. Dice the onions and carrots into bite sized pieces or grate if desired.

Boil the vegetables in salted water over medium heat until tender, about 15 – 20 minutes.  Drain them in a colander and use the back of a spoon to push out the excess water.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and spray a 9 x 9 or 9 x 13 casserole dish.  If using the smaller pan the casserole may need 30 – 35 minutes to completely warm through.  When I use a 9 x 13 pan the casserole usually only needs 25 – 30 minutes to bake.

Return the boiled vegetables to the pot and stir in the sour cream, mayonnaise (or alternate), egg, and salt and pepper.  Next, stir in 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese and a little less than 1/2 of the Ritz cracker crumbs.  If you prefer save some of the for the top of the casserole.

Spread the squash mixture in the greased casserole dish and top with the remaining cracker crumbs and bake for 25 – 35 minutes depending on the depth of the pan that you used and how hot your oven is.  The mixture should be warm through to the center, the crackers should be golden brown, and the edges bubbly.

Note – I don’t use a lot of extra salt since the crackers have plenty of salt.  If you don’t like onions leave them out or use onion powder or dehydrated onions in place of the diced onions.

 

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