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!
The BEST Squash Casserole Recipe
This Southern Squash Casserole is the BEST! OMG! I don’t even really care for squash, and I loved this easy casserole recipe! Yellow squash, zucchini, cheese, butter, and crumbled Ritz crackers? YUM! This is perfect for all your summer cookouts! You better believe this will be on the menu for our Memorial Day and 4th of July cookouts!
How To Make Southern Squash Casserole
This casserole is very easy to make. The hardest part of the whole recipe is slicing the squash. Start with slicing the squash. Next, quickly saute it in a skillet with some butter, garlic, and onion. Once the squash is tender, transfer it to a colander to drain the excess liquid. Press down on it to really get all that liquid out. You don’t want a runny casserole.
Mix together the drained squash mixture, cheddar cheese, eggs, heavy cream, salt, and pepper. Transfer the mixture to a baking dish and top with melted butter, cheddar cheese, grated parmesan, and crushed Ritz crackers.
- 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.
What to Serve with Squash & Zucchini
This casserole was a HUGE hit in our house! We love it with just about anything – grilled chicken, burgers, steaks, hot dogs, pork chops. Here are a few recipes from the blog that we go great with this easy side dish casserole:
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Southern Squash Casserole
Ingredients:
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 Vidalia onion, chopped
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1½ pounds yellow squash, sliced
- 1½ pounds zucchini, sliced
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese divided
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 tsp salt or to taste
- ½ tsp black pepper or to taste
- 3 Tbsp grated parmesan
- 3 Tbsp butter, melted
- 1 sleeve Ritz crackers, crushed (approximately 24 crackers)
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 3/4 cup cheddar cheese, eggs, heavy cream, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine.
- Spread squash mixture into prepared pan. Top with remaining 1/4 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
This is delicious!
YAY! Glad you enjoyed it, Shannon!
I made this tonight and it was awesome. I used four small zucchini’s as I had no squash. It was definitely a hit.
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?
You could skip the crackers to keep this Keto. The crackers are just there for some crunch.
Someone on another recipe recommended pork rinds – I think that would be perfect.
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
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.