How To Make Squash Casserole
I will be the first to admit, I am a recent convert to squash. However, in my defense I would like to say that I never actually tried it until a few years ago. I don’t know what exactly held me off. Maybe it was the weird look of it, the odd name, or the fact that the same old folks who liked to drink buttermilk by the glassful and eat things like livers and poke sallet loved it so very much. I’m not sure exactly what it was which deterred me from squash but I do know that when I finally did taste it, I was won over in the first bite.
Squash casserole is one of those dishes that varies so widely in recipes. I swear there are at least a hundred different variations out there. This one is my favorite. Gooey cheese, buttery cracker crumbs adding a hint of crunch, and the taste of garden fresh squash – even though I do use frozen most of the time.
This is a cinch to make and very filling for a side dish.
Alas, kids will likely give it a wide berth, but if they had any decent judgment in things they wouldn’t need parents, now would they?
You’ll need: Cheddar cheese, onion, milk, eggs, margarine, Ritz crackers (or generic), and squash.
I use fresh when it is given to me but if I am buying it, I just get frozen. Why? Well, I’m glad you asked that ~snickers~. I’ve found the quality and size of fresh squash in the grocery produce section to vary widely. It is rare to be able to find any decent sized squash that are still somewhat firm and if you do they are priced out the wazoo for the quantity you need. When you buy frozen squash, you get nice thick slices and a quality that has never been less than excellent from what I’ve seen. I can buy a bag of frozen squash for less than two dollars. To yield the same amount of nice thickly sliced squash from the produce section, I’d pay twice as much and likely end up with over ripe squash anyway. Perhaps it is different where you are but that is how it is in Bama.
Cook over medium heat until squash and onions are tender.
Drain water
Stir in half of the cracker/cheese mixture.
Squash Casserole
Ingredients
- 4 cups sliced yellow squash
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 1 sleeve buttery round crackers (such as Ritz)
- 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1/4 cup butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ground black pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350. Put squash, onion, and about a cup and a half of water in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook until squash and onions are tender, about five to ten minutes. Drain well. Add half stick of margarine and let melt.
- In medium bowl, crush crackers and stir in cheese. Add salt and pepper, stir. Stir half of the cracker mixture into the squash.
- In small bowl, mix together milk and two eggs. Pour into squash mixture. Stir well. Pour into casserole dish. Top with remaining crumb mixture and bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes, or until top is browned.
Google Recipe View Microformatting by ZipList Recipe Plugin
Ingredients
- 4 cups sliced yellow squash
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 1 sleeve buttery round crackers (such as Ritz)
- 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1/4 cup butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ground black pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350. Put squash, onion, and about a cup and a half of water in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook until squash and onions are tender, about five to ten minutes. Drain well. Add half stick of margarine and let melt.
- In medium bowl, crush crackers and stir in cheese. Add salt and pepper, stir. Stir half of the cracker mixture into the squash.
- In small bowl, mix together milk and two eggs. Pour into squash mixture. Stir well. Pour into casserole dish. Top with remaining crumb mixture and bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes, or until top is browned.
Print This Recipe
Posted by Christy Jordan
on Jul 22 2008. Filed under Side Dishes.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0.
You can leave a response or trackback to this entry
Oh Goodness I am a squash eater. Christy i could just eat the squash and the onions in the first couple pics b4 its all said and done with. Yummo, to bad i am the only one that east squash except my oldest son, now he loves squash reslish so i wonder if he would eat this with me????? never know. another great recipe.
If the boy eats squash relish, sounds to me like he’s a pretty smart little guy! I bet you would have a partner in crime were you to make this!
If he refuses, just give me a holler!!!
You know, a lot of times I just slice a squash and put a tablespoon or water into it, then cover it with saran wrap and nuke it for a minute or two! Grandmama says we need to try it raw too, she swears by that!
There’s something for you on my family blog:
http://www.lifeat-ourhouse.blogspot.com
This casserole looks delicious. I’ll have to try it when my squash plant is producing lots of squash. Yum! I bet my kids would eat it. I sauteed a couple tiny squash for lunch yesterday, and they both ate it up.
This is a super casserole one I have been making for several yrs..
I live only LOW CARB.. so here is the changes I made..
use about 1 cup crushed pork rinds.. instead of the crackers..in the dis… I do crush a few real Ritz mixed with some butter for the top.. perfect .. so far it has converted several…No Squash Eaters.. have a super day everyone….
I am so happy you posted this I think there is a serious lack of squash recipes out there LOL Plus I only had one with bisquick and bisquick is not my organic friend! LOL
But Mine always had hamburger and the onions cooked in the hamburger! But that was another 100 yr old recipe.
I am so doing this one! Thanks for posting it!
Thank you all for reading and commenting on this recipe, it has taught me an important lesson…
I made this casserole and did the tutorial a little over a week ago. I mentioned posting it last week but held off – I thought “no one is going to want a squash casserole recipe. It’s just too …country.” To me, it seemed good old country food but I thought my readers would balk at it for some reason (maybe because I balked at it all those years). I’ve learned my lesson!!! I’ve had such great response. I even stopped by a neighbors house today and she said “I am so glad you posted that squash casserole recipe today! I saw you were going to post it last week and I kept looking and waiting for it!”.
I just love y’all!
Sounds good!
My favorite way to eat squash is just sauteed with onions in a whole mess of butter and salt and pepper!
Also good fried. I like to fry it with green tomatoes and okra all together so you wind up with a big old plate of fried goodness
-Rachel
Hey Christy! I haven’t had squash casserole in a while. I’ve just been cooking them up like home fries with zucchini and a lot of onions.
And girl, there is no such thing as “too country”!
Rachel: that sounds heavenly!
Nikki: You know, you are absolutely right. Absolutely right…..
This casserole looks good BUT I’ve got a suggestion for you the next time you make it. Leave out the milk and add a can of cream of chicken/mushroom soup. Instead of crackers add some sage stuffing mix. Add a dallop of sour cream and you will have a casserole that people will talk about for a loooooong time. People that hate squash love this squash casserole. You would cover the top with a mixture of stuffing and cheese…not a lot…just enough to add a little cheesy crunch to the top. Instead of cooking my onion in the water with my squash I mince my onion up real small and let the flavor cook up into the casserole. This is just a suggestion. I’m loving your site. I love to cook but have lost touch with my kitchen since I started a lifestyle change last January that involves healthy eating. I’m forty four pounds smaller but am missing my southern cooking. I’ve got about forty more pounds to go so I won’t be cooking any casseroles for a while. Bummer:-( What really sux is that I got a 400.00 stand mixer for Christmas and haven’t even taken the cover off of it. None of this healthy stuff requires a lot of imagination. If anyone knows of a blog packed with good, healthy recipes would you please point me in the right direction? Thanks to all of you for posting the delicious recipes. I have to view your blogs with a drool rag!
Gail, many of my dessert recipes on Southern Plate are ones that I use low sugar products in or substitute Splenda for when making them for myself. I have a post coming up which will detail those!
Thanks!
Christy
I have a really good recipe as well, omit crackers, add small pan or a couple of big pieces of cornbread, and cream of mushroom soup. Mix squash/onions, cornbread crumbles, soup, some margarine/butter, salt/pepper, 1/2 the cheese and one egg. Put in dish, cover with remaining cheese and back until brown and bubbly. Yum, my grandma’s recipe, tastes alot like dressing! Great with mashed potatoes and a salad.
Thanks for a GREAT way to show how to prepare a recipe!! I’m trying it to take to my sister’s house for Easter Sunday and I love all your detail and pictures.
Thanks for posting this recipe…..it’s the very one my grandmother used to make except she uses saltine crackers!!! It’s just yummy!!!
Yum! Thanks for this post! It looks just like the squash casserole that my Granny (from AL) used to make. I can’t wait to try this recipe. Great photos too.
I’ve purchased above ingredients and am going to make this end of the month with our turkey dinner! I’m going with the dressing and soup suggestions. Thanks for sharing.
Yum !!! reminds me of being at my grandmas house in the country, when I was a kid. Thanks for the recipe.
I made this as a side dish and everyone absolutely loved it. I did a few alterations to it though to liven it up and give it a buttery sweet & salty taste. Because of a member of the family being on a soft food diet, I had to chop the onions and squash up into really fine pieces using a hand chopper so when it cooked it became more of a quiche type texture. I chopped up 1/2 of a Vidalia onion and about 5 small fresh squash (skin off) and sauteed them in a pan with the butter until soft and creamy. I then added a tablespoon of white sugar, a teaspoon of Nutmeg, a teaspoon of Vanilla extract, and about a teaspoon of Paprika. I then simmered the mix for 3 mins, turned off the flame and added about 5 eggs and a half cup of milk. Place the mixture in a glass or ceramic deep dish. Pour a mixture of crushed Ritz crackers & shredded sharp cheddar cheese on top covering the mixture. Bake for about 40 mins then take a long spoon and mix it up while in the dish and allow 5 more mins to cook. (This will help the crumbs absorb the excess water from the squash). I know it sounds an odd combination but it made an interesting dish that left an empty before dinner was half over.
[...] and “researching” I mean, I read my mom’s recipe, asked Lauren how she does it, and Googled one other recipe online. This was very time consuming because then I had to spend time thinking about how to reconcile the [...]
[...] Lasagna Today I an actually sharing 2 recipes. The first is a squash casserole. I found it on Southern Plate. Christy makes it with yellow squash, which I also did, but zucchini would work also. Christy even [...]
I’m excited to find a recipe for squash that will please my kids! Thanks.
Riley
Mystery Lovers’ Kitchen
Slice yellow squash, zuchinni, onions and tomatoes, add garlic. Add salt and pepper. Sprinkle olive oil over it and bake. Easy and delicious!
The quickest way to get kids to want to eat something is to tell them its “just for the grown-ups”. Everything my Mom told me was for the grown-ups was just what I ended up loving…LoL
I loved this recipe. It was a “cinch” and really good.
My ONLY suggestion was to use FRESH squash. I actually did cook it both ways and didn’t care for the frozen AT ALL. I could tell a big difference.
Just my 2 cents! LOL
[...] like to get that recipe and see some photography from the piteous camera I used back then, click here. The pictures aren’t that great, but the casserole is [...]
Loved this! And so did my family! I didn’t have cheddar cheese, so I used shredded Mexican cheese, and it was delicious!
These comments reminded me, I once had a recipe for a squash,coconut pie. I’m sure it had eggs and sugar in it too. You made the filling and poured it into a pie shell and baked it. Does anyone know the recipe. It’s one of those you don’t write down because it’s unusual and you know you’ll never forget it ! Well, I forgot it !!
I will try this recipe. I am go glad I found this website. I tried the crockpot chickn/dressing this weekend. It was so good. I think I may have used too much chicken stock, would have liked it a little drier. Will use less next time but it was so good. Thanks for the Southern recipes and tips that you give and the pics. Barbara
The first time I made this recipe, which was on July 19th, my Italian husband comes home from work while it was in the oven and asked “What stinks?” I told him it was his dinner!! Well, he actually tried it and loved it! We just got back from his surprise 50th birthday party that his niece graciously offered to have at her house, I made it again, and all of his relatives loved it, too! That’s why I’m back here again, I’m making copies for 3 of his nieces and his sister-in-law. Thanks Christy! It’s a keeper!
Veronica
[...] How To Make A Squash Casserole: Squash casserole is one of those dishes that varies so widely in recipes. I swear there are at least a hundred different variations out there. This one is my favorite. Gooey cheese, buttery cracker crumbs adding a hint of crunch, and the taste of garden fresh squash – even though I do use frozen most of the time. This is a cinch to make and very filling for a side dish. Found at Southern Plate. [...]
I am trying this recipe for the first time. I have never done a squash casserole, but I love it. My gramma use to make all of this yummy country cooking and she recently passed away and now I am attempting to figure out some of her recipes that I didn’t get from her. I figured out her Chicken broccoli casserole (It is divine) and her fried peach pies and some others, but I hadn’t attempted to figure out the squash casserole yet, these ingredients sound very similar to grammas so we shall see. Its in the over now, I’ve got pork chops to get started and some mashed potatoes so let’s hope the squash is a hit with the rest! Thanks so much for this recipe, I can smell it bubbling in the oven and it smells like grammas kitchen! Many thanks and God Bless~Erin
I was freaking out because i have a whole bunch of squash and didnt know what to do with them and i have never made squash casserole…shoot i barely know how to cook…then i found this recipe….it is cooking now,smells great and it was easy. Thanks so much for posting this
I enjoy your blog so much and have learned quite a few things. I have fixed this squash casserole twice in the last week. One for church and one for family. Everyone loves it and it was all eaten up. Which sure lets me know it’s a hit. Thanks for sharing and caring. Blessings, Karen
my mom makes one every year similar to this one. only she uses sour cream and one egg instead of two, and cheese-itz instead of ritz crackers. i recently wanted to make it and cant seem to find the exact receipe but this one is pretty close. also she puts green onions in the sour cream mixture.
and since i made it last year i have several people at my office who hate squash, beg me to make it again. =]
I made this recipe to take to a Christmas party. It was a HUGE hit. It was very good. It’s so easy to make too. I used half fresh and half frozen squash.
Yumm!
Yummy! Thank you for a wonderful squash recipe, my husband and I both loved it and I am making it for our weekly potluck we attend. I love yellow squash but got tired of the same ol’, same ol’ with it. This is a refreshing change.
So glad you liked it!!
Oh my gosh Christy, you will never guess what I just did. Well I liked this recipe so much that I made it again last weekend and I froze it. I made it all the way through the recipe except I didn’t bake it and I froze it bit I took it one step further. Oh Yum. We had it for dinner and it was so good because it had Tillamook Smoked Cheddar Cheese in it. Oh my gosh was it good stuff, my husband was like, “wow, that smokiness is the best”..
We added some corn and layered some fresh green beans on top. YUmmmm
[...] from the Front Porch – Squash casserole and Daddy’s coconut [...]
Loved this casserole!!!! All 4 of my kids ate it. I did add a little extra cheese. I am sure that had something to do with it! We have a ton of squash right now, so this was perfect! Thank you for making real food taste so good and with ingredients zi already have and making it so easy!!!!!
This looks so good. My DH loves squash! Can you freeze this? I’d love to make some for the winter with all the squash coming in.
This is the first dish I made from your cook book and it was heavenly. I could have eaten the whole thing myself but I had to share with the rest of the family. I just found the website, so now it is my very favorite cooking site. My northern family will be getting a healthy dose of southern cooking.
[...] – Sweet and Sour Green Beans, Squash Casserole and Chicken [...]
I love squash!! I have a bunch of zucchini I need to use tho so I think I’ll make zucchini casserole
Hello.This article was really interesting, particularly because I was looking for thoughts on this subject last Thursday.
I’ve been making this delicious recipe for years. Used to do it with crackers and breadcrumbs…but then discovered Durkee Cheese flavored French fried onions in it are to DIE for!
I’ve never made a squash casserole, but I’ll try this one. My boys always ate squash, any kind of squash. They loved it all. Most of the time I just steamed it and added butter, salt and pepper. They loved all vegetables, except corn and peas, go figure. Even when they were little they ate broccoli, spinach and squash and I never had to threaten them. I was fortunate they liked vegetables.
[...] Squash Casserole [...]
Merry Christmas to you too Christy! Hey your squash dish is perfect, it doesn’t need any soup in there! This is exactly the way it’s supposed to be made. We have even left out the eggs & it’s good that way too. Another squash casserole that is similar to this you just add some fresh cut corn in the summer when you can get it. Good menu you have planned.