Creamy, delicious and topped with the perfect amount of crunch, you will want to add this Cheesy Squash Casserole to your regular dinner rotation served as an entree or side dish.
The layers of freshly sliced squash with cheese and a buttery cracker topping in this Cheesy Squash Casserole are the squash side dish you having been searching for!
Cheesy Squash Casserole
An unlikely place, this recipe actually came to me at the gym. Actually, it might be a very likely place.
I can’t be the only person that works out dreaming about food, can I? I don’t hit the elliptical to be skinny, I jump on that thing so I don’t feel as guilty about eating dessert!
Today was a little different. I was actually chatting up a gym employee about making homemade pickles (sharing tips from my Honey Habanero Pickles) and he was looking for ways to use up the abundance of squash from his home garden.
He told me he tried a cheesy squash casserole recipe he got from AllRecipes and loved it! The thing that really got me hooked was the buttery cracker topping.
Crunchy Topping
Texture is my thing. So is salt.
PRO TIP: Buttery crackers can be any type of buttery cracker, such as Ritz or Club crackers.
Crackers don’t have to be perfectly crushed into crumbs, in fact, I like it best when there are varying sizes to make it a little more interesting.
I love crunchy and savory. Crackers, cheese and squash! So I set out making my own version.
Cooking the Squash
One of the things I learned along my journey was to not initially overcook the squash. Since they are made of so much water, the difference of one minute can take your squash slices from nice and taut to a soggy mess.
They will be cooking even more in the oven, so don’t over do it, you want a little snap when you transfer them.
How to Make a Squash Casserole
First, you’ll cook the squash as mentioned above and also in the recipe card.
I am also a little type A, so I layered mine all nice and flat. You can just dump them in if that doesn’t bother you. It all tastes the same.
PRO TIP- Use a low moisture cheese to prevent additional water in your casserole.
Use a low moisture cheese for this Cheesy Squash Casserole. Again, since there is so much water in the squash, you don’t want to add more with a watery cheese.
Bake it up so it is warm, cheesy and gooey.
Lastly, don’t skip the step of allowing it to sit. If you carve it too early it just goes all limp and doesn’t give the ingredients time to set up.
In review:
- Slice your squash and cook it lightly in a skillet with vegetable oil and onion. Some prefer to use butter, it is up to you, but oil has a higher smoke point than melted butter.
- Mix it with sour cream, cheddar cheese, milk and other seasonings. Transfer the squash mixture to a lightly greased casserole dish.
- Top it with cracker crumbs and bake. Quick and easy!
Check out these other delicious recipes that use squash:
Variations
Can I use a different type of cheese? Sure! Other cheeses I would use are mozzarella or even asiago.
Can I make it without crackers? Sure! If you do omit the crackers, I would add more cheese on top.
Is there a difference between summer squash and winter squash? Winter squash has a slightly thicker skin. You can peel yours if the skin is too tough. It will soften as it cooks.
What are the best crackers for topping? You can really use any crackers you’d like, but most people tend to like Ritz crackers.
Can I use just yellow or just green squash? Yep! I like to “eat the rainbow” so I added both, but feel free to use just one or the other.
Make Ahead & Freezing
Can I make this casserole ahead? You sure can! I would get all the way to step #7, cover and refrigerate up to a day ahead of time. When you are ready to serve, add the crackers and bake to heat.
If you’d like to freeze it, read about how to freeze a casserole here!
Can I freeze squash casserole? Technically, yes but that darn water is going to get you again! It will most likely defrost to be a little soggy and limp.
Serve it with…
This dish can be a main meal for your vegetarian friends or a side dish. If you are looking for a main, here are a few ideas.
What meat goes with squash casserole? This is such a versatile dish, it really goes with anything, but here are a few of my favorites:
- Stuffed Turkey Breast
- French Onion Pork Loin
- Steak Stir Fry
- Best Chicken Marinade
- Reverse Sear Beef Tenderloin
Cheesy Squash Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 4 cups green and yellow squash , cut into thin slices
- ¼ cup white onion , chopped
- 1 cup cheddar cheese , shredded and divided
- 1 egg , lightly beaten
- ½ cup whole milk
- 1/4 cup butter , melted
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon white pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 1/2 cups buttery crackers , crushed*
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over high heat. Cook sliced squash in 2 batches, until it starts to soften. This will take about 5 minutes per batch. The ideal texture is slightly soft, but not falling apart.
- Remove from heat and drain to remove any excess liquid.
- Transfer to a large mixing bowl. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine egg, whole milk, melted butter, sour cream, Kosher salt, ground pepper, garlic powder and ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese.
- Gently toss cooked squash with this mixture.
- Transfer to a 3-quart casserole dish prepared with cooking spray.
- Top squash casserole with crushed crackers, remaining ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese and dried parsley.
- Bake, uncovered, for 20-25 minutes until cheese has melted and top is bubbly and brown.
- Remove and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Notes
Crackers don’t have to be perfectly crushed into crumbs, in fact, I like it best when there are varying sizes to make it a little more interesting.
This looks so good! Love the cheese and squash together.
This is such a great and healthy family dinner option. I absolutely love it. Sounds very delicious and it’s super easy to make. I can’t wait to make this.
So glad I found this! My squash recipes are so boring. This is a great idea for a holiday side dish!
This is so good. Definitely need the crackers. This is one casserole dish I will make again and again. 🙂
I seriously could not get enough of this when I made it. The entire family loved the casserole. Bookmarking for the future.
This turned out so good! Finally got my family to eat veggies without any nagging at all! Definitely making this one again.
LOL. I totally get that!