Southern Squash Casserole

Southern Squash Casserole Recipe – seriously the BEST squash casserole recipe EVER! I took this to a cookout and it was the first thing to go! Fresh yellow squash, zucchini, onion, garlic, cheddar cheese, eggs, heavy cream, parmesan, butter, and Ritz crackers. Can make ahead of time and refrigerate or freeze for later. SO easy and everyone LOVES it! 

scooping squash casserole from baking dish

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Classic Southern Squash Casserole Recipe

This Southern Squash Casserole is the BEST! OMG! I don’t even really care for squash, and I loved this recipe! Tender squash, zucchini, gooey cheese, butter, and buttery crackers? YUM! This is the perfect side dish to use up all that yellow summer squash you have in the house! This is a staple at our dinner table during the summer months. It is equally delicious at Thanksgiving and Christmas. Give this a try ASAP. The whole family is sure to enjoy it.

baking dish of squash casserole

How To Make Cheesy Squash Casserole

This casserole is a simple recipe to make with only a few ingredients. Using a sharp knife, slice yellow squash, zucchini, and an onion. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion to the pan and cook for 3 minutes. Add fresh garlic cloves and squash slices and zucchini to the pan and cook until tender. Transfer squash mixture to a colander to drain the excess moisture. Press down on it to really get all that liquid out. You don’t want a watery casserole.

In a small bowl, combine melted butter and crushed crackers. Place half of the crackers into a separate bowl. Add squash mixture, cheddar cheese, eggs, heavy cream, salt, and black pepper to the bowl. Mix well. Transfer the squash mixture to a greased casserole dish. Sprinkle butter cracker crumbs, cheddar cheese, and grated parmesan cheese top of casserole. Bake uncovered until golden brown.

Helpful Tips & Frequently Asked Questions

  • I like to use a handheld mandoline slicer to slice the squash into thin slices. Having all the slices the same thickness helps the squash cook evenly. It also only takes a minute to slice the squash with the handheld mandoline slicer.
  • You can use freshly grated parmesan or the green can of parmesan cheese.
  • Feel free to add some chopped bell pepper to the casserole.
  • If you want a low-carb/keto-friendly/gluten-free dish, you can substitute crushed pork rinds for the buttery cracker crumbs.
  • Don’t like Ritz crackers? You can substitute saltine crackers.
  • Can Squash Casserole be Made Ahead of Time & Frozen? Absolutely! This casserole can be made ahead of time and refrigerated or frozen until ready to bake. Just assemble the casserole and refrigerate or freeze it before baking.
  • If baking after being refrigerated overnight, you may need to add a few minutes to the cooking time.
  • If you are freezing this casserole before baking, thaw the casserole completely and bake as directed below.
  • You can also freeze the leftovers. When ready to reheat, thaw and pop in the microwave for a quick side dish.
  • Store leftover squash casserole in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
scooping squash casserole from baking dish

What to Serve with Squash & Zucchini

This squash recipe is one of our favorite side dishes! We love it with just about anything – grilled chicken, fried chicken, burgers, steaks, hot dogs, pork chops. This is also a delicious side dish for any upcoming holiday dinners. It goes wonderfully with ham, Turkey & Dressing, and homemade biscuits.

Looking for more recipes to serve with this dish? Here are a few recipes from the blog that go great with this easy squash casserole:

Best Burgers EVER!

Best Burgers EVER! – these are hands down the best burgers I’ve ever eaten! SO good!!! Hamburger, onion, basil, teriyaki…

Cola Glazed Baked Ham

Cola Glazed Baked Ham – you’ll never buy a fancy store-bought honey-glazed baked ham again! Only 3 ingredients in the…

scooping squash casserole from baking dish

Southern Squash Casserole

Yield: 6 people
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Southern Squash Casserole – seriously the BEST squash casserole recipe EVER! I took this to a cookout and it was the first thing to go! Yellow squash, zucchini, onion, garlic, cheddar cheese, eggs, heavy cream, parmesan, butter, and Ritz crackers. Can make ahead of time and refrigerate or freeze for later. SO easy and everyone LOVES it! #casserole #squash #recipe #sidedish #freezermeal

Ingredients:

Instructions:

  • Preheat oven to 375ºF. Spray a 9×9-inch or 11×10-inch pan with cooking spray.
  • Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and saute for 3 minutes. Add garlic and squash to pan. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until squash is tender.
  • Remove pan from heat and transfer squash to a colander. Drain away excess liquid.
  • Combine melted butter and crushed crackers. Place half of the crackers into a large bowl.
  • Add cooked squash to bowl with crackers. Add ¾ cup cheddar cheese, eggs, heavy cream, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine.
  • Spread squash mixture into prepared pan. Top with remaining ¼ cup cheddar cheese, remaining cracker crumbs and parmesan cheese.
  • Bake uncovered for 20 to 25 minutes.

Notes:

  • I like to use a handheld mandoline slicer to slice the squash into thin slices. Having all the slices the same thickness helps the squash cook evenly.  It also only takes a minute to slice the squash with the handy dandy handheld mandoline slicer.
  • You can use freshly grated parmesan or the green can of parmesan cheese.
  • If you want a low-carb/keto-friendly/gluten-free dish, you can substitute crushed pork rinds for the Ritz crackers.
  • Can Squash Casserole be Made Ahead of Time & Frozen? Absolutely! This casserole can be made ahead of time and refrigerated or frozen until ready to bake. Just assemble the casserole and refrigerate or freeze before baking.
    • If baking after being refrigerated overnight, you may need to add a few minutes to the cooking time.
    • If you are freezing this casserole before baking, thaw the casserole completely and bake as directed below.
    • You can also freeze the leftovers. When ready to reheat, just thaw and pop in the microwave for a quick side dish.

Steph

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scooping squash casserole from baking dish
baking dish of squash and zucchini casserole

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Comments

    1. Just depends on how thick you slice it. I usually weigh the squash when I buy it a the grocery store or use my kitchen scale at home.

    1. Shannon, I actually have used both crushed GF pretzels and also the best GF crackers out there (Milton’s) in place of Ritz crackers. I do use a small food processor to crush those pretzels, fyi…gives it a different taste and texture.

  1. I made this tonight and it was awesome. I used four small zucchini’s as I had no squash. It was definitely a hit.

  2. I'm following the Keto diet and am wondering if you think there might be a low carb substitute for the Ritz Crackers? Almond flour?

  3. Saw where you said it would freeze well. I have found that the squash gets watery when frozen. Do you not have a problem with that? Also, would you freeze uncooked or after being cooked? Thanks

    1. I always make sure to drain the squash really well before assembling the casserole. You can freeze this cooked or uncooked. I prefer uncooked. I thaw it completely and then bake as directed.

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