Best Southern Yellow Squash Casserole Recipe

Creamy, cheesy and soft as a cloud with a delightful crunchy top crust. This Best Southern Yellow Squash Casserole Recipe is like the one your favorite Aunt always brought to family reunions complete with layers of tender squash, sour cream, ritz crackers and a creamy sauce with a golden brown crust! 

Easy Squash Casserole isn't just for summer months! It's the perfect side dish with a buttery cracker crumb top that the whole family loves as a comforting side dish!

Goes great with a fried chicken main dish and is a southern classic just like fried green tomatoes! 

Why This Recipe For Squash Casserole Works

• EASY!
• You probably already have the ingredients in the pantry
• It is delicious even when it is room temperature so you can put it through your holiday oven early!
• That reliable taste of squash, buttery crackers and fluffy cheese! YUM!
• Preparations for squash casserole take less than 20 minutes! 
• You can freeze leftover Squash Casserole for up to 3 months!

Let’s See How to Make an Easy Cheesy Southern Squash Casserole

STEP 1. 

Find some beautiful smaller yellow squash for southern squash casserole recipe.

STEP 2. 

Grate half of the squash and cut the rest into bite sized disk quarters

squash casserole

STEP 3. 

Saute the fresh yellow squash in a large skillet over medium heat to avoid watery casserole.

STEP 4. 

Mix the other ingredients together in a bowl, then mix the squash in a large bowl and pour everything into a greased casserole dish for a delicious side dish.

STEP 5. 

Add the ritz cracker topping and a bit of parmesan cheese and bake for the classic southern squash casserole you love! Serve warm for family gatherings! 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s)

How Do You Cook Squash Casserole In the Oven

Simply follow the directions in this recipe for cheesy yellow squash casserole. It's a family favorite and great recipe, especially for this time of year!

Why Do I Have To Pre Cook the Squash?

Squash have a lot of water. Precooking them helps to remove that water. If you don’t, your casserole runs the risk of being soupy!

How Do I PreCook the Squash?

In this recipe for squash casserole, I recommend a saute, but feel free to cook them in the oven, microwave or whatever method you prefer. 

The main idea is to get the excess water out. 

Is Yellow Squash a Summer Squash?

You guessed it, yellow squash are a summer squash.  Another favorite summer squash is zucchini.

There’s all KINDS of interesting information out there about squash just check your search engine! Wow.

Some of the best things you can combine with any cooked squash?

• Yummy cheeses – like the cheese found here (Parm and sharp cheddar cheese).
• Fresh herbs – Thyme is added in this dish but basil is also great with summer squashes.
• Garlic – universally works well with summer squash.
• Melted Butter – it works with squash!

Winter squashes are butternut squash, acorn squash and pumpkins.  Those have a different flavor profile. So, we won’t cover that here.

How Long Does Squash Casserole Last? 

Leftover squash casserole casserole will last 5 days if kept covered in the fridge with plastic wrap, aluminum foil or in another airtight container for a later family meal. 

Do not allow this to sit out for more than 2 hours at any one time. 

Can You Freeze Squash Casserole?

Yes, you CAN freeze it. Cover with high quality freezer safe wrap and then freeze for up to 3 months. You may notice a slight change in consistency on thawing. 

Tips and Tricks for Squash Casserole

The Basics: 

• Choose young small brightly colored yellow squash with smooth skin like you might find at the farmer's market. If you notice bad places, if they are huge or if the skin is starting to wrinkle then move along. Don’t choose squash that are soft when you squeeze them. 
• When you precook your squash, sometimes there's too much liquid and it will cook out and sometimes it doesn’t. No worries, both are normal for a wonderful side dish. 
• The cheese you choose for this dish makes ALL the difference for squash casserole!  Choose a flavorful LOUD cheese. Something like “Helluva” brand or “Cabots” are always good choices.
• If you aren’t someone who loves garlic or thyme – I’m wondering why – but anyway – you can always just skip those two ingredients. They are a perfect way to add FLAVOR and that is what we are all about here at Loaves and Dishes!
• Use a lightly greased baking dish or one sprayed with cooking spray.
• Always remember to use salt and pepper!

How to Keep This Recipe

• You CAN halve this recipe and it will serve two people very well for a couple of meals.
• I have a friend who freezes this recipe and says it is fine – but when I have tried it – it gets soupy. 
• On the other hand – I think squash casserole is good for ANY meal – even breakfast. So, eat it three times a day and you should be able to eat it all before it goes bad.
• Keeps for several days in the fridge. Say whoa by 1 week though. You’ll be sick of it by that time anyway.
• Invite friends over to share in the bounty!
• You CAN divide this between several smaller baking dishes and give the others away!
• This dish will save for at least 2 days mixed up and ready to bake. Makes it perfect for a dinner where you need something prepared ahead of time.

Professional Cook Tips:

PRO TIP:  For an interesting twist on squash casserole, try changing up the upper crust topping with other crunchy options like canned fried onions, potato chips, other types of crackers, etc. Let your imagination run wild! You can also try other seasonings like Old Bay, Italian Seasoning, etc.

Pro Tip:  You can use frozen pre chopped sweet onion in this recipe, its a great way to save time!

Pro Tip:  You can use your meat pounder to gently smash the crackers while they are in the cracker sleeve (put them in the bowl first) and then you can simply open the sleeve and cracker crumbs slide out!

Tip from The Pro:  Always season with salt!

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Best Southern Yellow Squash Casserole Recipe

This squash casserole is the delicious one you remember from your childhood.  Remember?  The only one that you would eat? 

5 from 5 votes

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Course: Side

Cuisine: American

Keyword: squash casserole, cheesy squash casserole

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes

Servings: 12 servings

Calories: 195kcal

Author: Wendi Spraker

Ingredients

• 1 tbs vegetable oil
• 1 medium onion - chopped
• ½ teaspoon garlic - minced
• 2 lbs yellow squash the smaller the better - Grate ½ the squash and slice and cut the rest into quarters.
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 can of cream of chicken soup or mushroom or celery
• ½ cup sour cream
• 2 Cups white or yellow cheddar cheese
• ⅓ cup American cheese food
• 2 eggs beaten
• 1 cup of crushed butter crackers like Ritz (about 1 sleeve)
• ¼ Cup Parmesan cheese - grated
• 1 ½ teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 tbs melted real butter

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350. Chop the onion, mince the garlic, grate and slice the squash, grate the cheese and crush the crackers.
• Prepare a 9x12 baking dish with non stick spray.
• On the stovetop over medium heat in a large skillet, heat the onion and cook till translucent then add the garlic and cook until fragrant - about 1 minute.
• Add the squash and salt. Stir well and Add the lid and allow the squash to steam in their own juices. Keep cooking the squash until you can tell that water has been released from the squash and the squash are soft. Remove the lid and continue cooking until the water evaporates from the pan. Then remove from the heat and let rest.
• In a large bowl, combine the soup, sour cream, cheese and eggs and stir well.
• Once the squash have cooled somel, mix them into the soup mixture and mix thoroughly.
• Spread the mixture into the baking dish.
• Bake the squash at 350 for 25 minutes
• In a medium sized bowl, mix the crushed crackers, parmesan, thyme and butter. After the squash has baked for 25 minutes, remove it from the oven and sprinkle the cracker crumb mixture on the top. Put back in the oven and bake for another 20 minutes.

Notes

• Choose young small brightly colored yellow squash with smooth skin.  If you notice bad places, if they are huge or if the skin is starting to wrinkle then move along.  Don't choose squash that are soft when you squeeze them. 
• When you precook your squash, sometimes water comes out and sometimes it doesn't.  No worries, both are normal. 
• The cheese you choose for this dish makes ALL the difference.  Choose a flavorful LOUD cheese.  Something like "Helluva" brand or "Cabots" are always good choices. 

PRO TIP:  For an interesting twist, try changing up the upper crust topping with other crunchy options like canned fried onions, potato chips, other types of crackers, etc.  Let your imagination run wild!  You can also try other seasonings like Old Bay, Italian Seasoning, etc.  

Pro Tip:  You can use frozen pre-chopped onions in this recipe, I did - great time saver!

Pro Tip:  You can use your meat tenderizer to gently smash the crackers while they are in the cracker sleeve (put them in the bowl first) and then you can simply open the sleeve and cracker crumbs slide out!

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Best Southern Yellow Squash Casserole Recipe

Amount Per Serving

Calories 195 Calories from Fat 135

% Daily Value*

Fat 15g23%

Saturated Fat 8g40%

Cholesterol 62mg21%

Sodium 489mg20%

Potassium 264mg8%

Carbohydrates 7g2%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 2g2%

Protein 8g16%

Vitamin A 560IU11%

Vitamin C 13.6mg16%

Calcium 238mg24%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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***This post was originally published on Loaves and Dishes in June 9, 2017 and has been updated with "why this recipe works" ,step by step photos, video, more tips, updated recipe steps, more faq's and MORE! This recipe article was published a second time on May 21, 2019 and has now been updated with needed equipment, written in a more concise manner and then republished.

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