A classic Southern Squash Casserole is the perfect way to enjoy the bounty from your summer garden! The cheesy filling is topped with a buttery crumb topping for the ultimate family-friendly side dish recipe!
A classic Southern Squash Casserole is the perfect way to enjoy the bounty from your summer garden! The cheesy filling is topped with a buttery crumb topping for the ultimate family-friendly side dish recipe!
You’re going to love the taste of these vegetables!
How do you make a Squash Casserole?
Depending on who you ask, you’ll probably get a different answer every time! A squash casserole is something that just about every seasoned home cook has prepared at least once, and there are about a zillion different ways to do so!
In the South, you’ll find that a squash casserole normally includes:
- cooked yellow squash, often combined with onions and red bell peppers (or pimientos);
- cheddar cheese;
- a creamy base (typically either sour cream or mayonnaise, but I prefer a combination of both);
- and a buttery crumb topping (Ritz crackers are the KEY!).
A winning combination!
How many cups are in a yellow squash?
This squash casserole recipe calls for 2 pounds of yellow squash. That is equivalent to about 4 small yellow squash, which equals about 6 cups of sliced squash.
Yellow squash can obviously grow to a wide range of sizes; however, so I always recommend weighing or measuring your squash before assembling the casserole.
It’s also important to make sure that you slice your squash into even rounds. I like to use a mandoline slicer for this task, because it’s FAST. Just be careful that you don’t get your fingertip in that mandoline (been there, done that)!
How do you cook squash?
Once the vegetables are evenly sliced, you’ll need to cook the squash before baking the casserole. Some folks like to boil the squash first; however, I find that it’s easier to sauté the squash with the onion and the bell pepper in one big skillet.
This only takes about 10 minutes, and it ensures that your vegetables are tender in the finished dish. Plus, it adds an extra layer of flavor, thanks to the butter, salt and pepper that you add with this step!
And since many of our summer gardens include a bounty of zucchini (in addition to yellow squash), I’ll go ahead and anticipate another question that you might be asking right now:
Is yellow squash like zucchini?
Yes! They are not the same vegetable; however, they are similar and can be used interchangeably in this recipe. Feel free to substitute zucchini for all of the yellow squash called for, or use a combination of the two vegetables to total 6 sliced cups.
Your Southern Squash Casserole will be delicious — no matter which type of squash you have on hand!
If you’ve tried this Southern Squash Casserole or any other recipe on The Seasoned Mom then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave me a comment below! You can also follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest to see what I’m up to.
Southern Squash Casserole
A classic Southern Squash Casserole is the perfect way to enjoy the bounty from your summer garden! The cheesy filling is topped with a buttery crumb topping for the ultimate family-friendly side dish recipe!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter divided
- 4 small yellow squash (about 2 lbs.), sliced (about 6 cups total)
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
- ¼ cup sour cream I used light sour cream for purposes of calculating nutrition information
- ¼ cup mayonnaise I used light mayonnaise for purposes of calculating nutrition information
- ¾ cup crushed butter crackers I used 18 Ritz crackers
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 8- or 9-inch square baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
- Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add squash, onion, and bell pepper to the skillet, cooking and stirring for about 10 minutes (or until vegetables are tender). Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper.
- Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, cheese, sour cream, and mayonnaise.
- Stir the egg mixture into the squash mixture.
- Transfer the squash mixture into the prepared baking dish.
- In a separate bowl, combine crushed crackers with remaining 1 tablespoon of melted butter. Sprinkle buttered cracker crumbs over top of casserole.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until casserole is set and topping is golden brown.
Recipe Notes
Cooking Just for Two? You can prepare a smaller casserole by cutting the ingredients in half and baking the dish in 1-quart casserole. The rest of the instructions remain the same.
Hello Blair…! oh wow amazing…this looks sooo good & delicious, i can’t wait try to this recipe…this is perfect for this summer..Thanks for sharing….!
Thanks, Samantha!
Thank you. Great information
Can you use frozen squash in this recipe
Ann
Hi, Ann! I honestly haven’t tried it. I would worry that the frozen squash might have more liquid in it (when thawed) and be mushier than the fresh squash, but that might not be a problem. I like the texture of the slightly more firm fresh squash, but if you don’t mind a casserole with squash that’s really mushy and just kind of soft and blended together, then the frozen would probably work! 🙂