Yellow Squash Casserole

Yellow Squash Casserole – made with fresh yellow squash, a cheesy, creamy coating and it’s finished with crispy toasted panko bread crumbs. It’s a delicious, homestyle side dish that’s perfect for holidays, and a great way to use up the abundance of summer squash.

 

Yellow Squash Casserole

• Servings: 12
• Prep Time 25 minutes
• Cook Time 35 minutes
• Total Time 1 hour

Ingredients

• 4 lbs. yellow squash (preferably small to medium), sliced into rounds about 1/3-inch thick
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 large egg
• 3/4 cup + 1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs, divided
• 1 1/4 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup chopped parsley
• 2 Tbsp dried chives
• 3 Tbsp butter, divided
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced (2 tsp)
• 1 cup finely shredded parmesan cheese, divided
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 13 by 9-inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add squash and let boil just until nearly tender, about 5 - 6 minutes. Drain into a colander, set aside to drain well.
3. While squash is boiling in a mixing bowl stir together sour cream, egg, 1/3 cup breadcrumbs, cheddar cheese, 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, parsley and chives. Set aside.
4. Melt 1 Tbsp butter in a 12-inch saute pan or deep skillet over medium heat. Add onion and saute until slightly golden brown and tender, about 7 minutes. Add garlic and saute 1 minute longer. Remove from heat.
5. Add squash to pan along with sour cream mixture and season with salt and pepper to taste. Toss mixture to evenly coat the pour into prepared baking dish and spread even. Cover with foil and bake in preheated oven 20 minutes.
6. Melt remaining 2 Tbsp butter in a small mixing bowl. Add in 3/4 cup panko and 1/2 cup parmesan cheese and toss to evenly coat mixture. Remove casserole from oven after the 20 minutes and sprinkle mixture evenly over top.
7. Move oven rack to upper third of the oven, return casserole to oven. Bake 10 minutes longer or until cheese has melted and casserole is heated through.
8. Turn on broiler and broil just briefly to make topping golden brown, about 1 - 2 minutes (don't walk away from it, it will brown quickly!). Serve casserole warm garnished with a little chopped parsley if desired.

Recipe Notes

POSSIBLE VARIATIONS:

• Use zucchini in place of yellow squash.
• Try a different cheese such as romano for parmesan or a sharper gruyere for cheddar.
• Add extra cheese.
• Sneak in a sliced tomato.
• Substitute crushed ritz crackers for panko (use 35 crackers, and no broiling necessary).
• Try it with creme fraiche in place of sour cream.