Simple Summer Squash Casserole
I grew up loving squash casserole. My Grannie made it whenever we visited, and the cheesy, crispy goodness made it easy to enjoy. My boys, however, never developed a taste for it. Rather than battle it out at the dinner table, I stopped making it except for our larger family get-togethers where it’s sure to get eaten.
Dad has been working on a garden this spring, and although it’s only May, the squash is growing like crazy. I’ve been sent home with a few squash or zucchini each time I’ve visited in the past few weeks. I really don’t know what else to do with squash besides make this casserole, so my husband and I enjoyed the whole thing ourselves!
There are way more complicated recipes out there for squash casserole. I like this one because it’s easy and the ingredients are simple. Try it, and let me know what you think.
Simple Summer Squash Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 ½ to 2 lbs Yellow Squash (crook neck, summer squash), thinly sliced You can also use zucchini or mix zucchini and squash.
- 1/2 large Yellow Onion, chopped (Mince if you want to hide the onion from your kids!)
- 1 sleeve Saltine Crackers, crumbled (divided)
- 1 cup Cheddar Cheese, grated
- 1/4 cup Milk
- 1/4 cup Butter (divided)
- 1/2 tsp Pepper (ground, black pepper)
- 1/4 tsp Salt (or to taste)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°. While oven is preheating, put 2 tablespoons of butter in a 7"x11" casserole dish and let it melt in the oven.
- In a large bowl, mix squash, onion, 1/2 of the cracker crumbs, and 3/4 cup of cheese, milk, salt, and pepper.
- Spread the mixture in the prepared casserole dish (make sure the butter is melted and covers the bottom of the dish)
- Layer 1/2 of the remaining cracker crumbs, cheese, then then final 1/4 of the cracker crumbs over the mixture. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and pour over the casserole.
- Bake at 400° for 25 minutes
Notes
- Some people prefer to use buttery crackers, like Ritz. That’s fine, it’s just not how my Grannie did it… probably because they always had Saltines in the house (and they cost less).
- I’d bet you a dollar that Grannie used Velveeta rather than cheddar. That’s your call. My intention with cooking is to use “real” ingredients as much as possible, so I use cheddar.
- This recipe makes a loose casserole. If you want it to hold together a little more, add 2 eggs (beaten) and 1/2 cup of milk (for a total of 3/4 cup of milk) to the squash mixture before you put it in the casserole dish.
