This creamy, cheesy Yellow Squash Casserole with a buttery cracker crumb topping is an easy and delicious way to enjoy your summer squash. It’s a classic Southern side dish that is sure to become a favorite!
If you’re looking for a way to turn that yellow squash from your garden into a super delicious side dish that goes with just about anything, you just found it! Yellow Squash Casserole is perfect for weeknight dinners, picnics, potlucks, and even holiday dinners. It’s a total winner!
I don’t know about you, but I’m always looking for new vegetable side dish recipes. I get tired of the rotation of the same old steamed veggies every night which – let’s be honest – are super easy to make but can become boring really quickly.
This casserole requires a little more effort than steamed veggies, but the payoff is totally worth it. All you have to do is chop the veggies, give them a quick sauté, mix in some cheese, sour cream and crushed crackers, put it a baking dish, top with more crushed crackers (mixed with melted butter!), and bake.
Easy, right? And seriously, how could anything with cheese, sour cream, and buttery crackers be anything but delicious? You may even get some of your picky eaters to eat some yellow squash with this one!
INGREDIENTS:
- Cooking spray
- Olive oil
- Butter
- Yellow squash
- Salt and pepper
- Onion
- Garlic
- Cheddar cheese
- Parmesan cheese
- Sour cream
- Buttery crackers (I use Ritz)
HERE’S A QUICK LOOK AT HOW TO MAKE YELLOW SQUASH CASSEROLE:
TIPS & TIDBITS:
- Because yellow squash has such a mild flavor, you need to make sure the casserole is well-seasoned so that it is not bland. I lightly season the squash and onions with salt and pepper when I sauté them. Then, after I mix in the cheese, sour cream, and crackers, I taste it and add more salt and pepper if needed.
- To avoid a mushy casserole (unless that’s your thing, of course), when sautéing the squash and onions, make sure you don’t overcook them. Stop when the squash are crisp-tender because, remember, they will continue to cook in the oven for about 20 minutes.
- Along with the Parmesan cheese, I use cheddar cheese in my casserole (usually the sharp variety) because that’s what I usually have in my fridge, but go ahead and use your favorite melty cheese. I think Gruyère would be an excellent variation (note to self: try this soon!).
- You can make this casserole with zucchini too – either all zucchini or a combination of zucchini and yellow squash. Delicious (and pretty)!
Since you can get yellow squash pretty much all year long these days, you can enjoy this casserole all year long. I actually love making it as one of my (many!) Thanksgiving side dishes. Everyone always loves it!
I hope you try this recipe for Yellow Squash Casserole and love it as much as I do. Thanks for visiting today!
Yellow Squash Casserole
Ingredients
- cooking spray
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 tablespoons butter, divided
- 2 pounds yellow squash, cut into quarter-moons (about 6 cups)
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 sleeve buttery crackers (I use Ritz) (about 30 crackers), crushed, divided
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 1½ to 2-quart baking dish with cooking spray.
- In a large pan, heat the olive oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter over medium heat. When the butter is melted, add the yellow squash and onions, lightly season with salt and pepper, and sauté until they are crisp-tender, about 10 minutes. Note: To avoid a mushy casserole, be sure not to overcook the squash at this point. They will continue cooking in the oven.
- Add the garlic and saute for another minute.
- Remove from the heat and add the cheddar cheese, Parmesan cheese, sour cream, and half of the crushed crackers. Stir until well combined. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
- Pour into the prepared baking dish.
- Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and add to the remaining crushed crackers; stir to combine, making sure all of the cracker crumbs are coated in butter.
- Sprinkle the butter/crushed cracker mixture over the top of the squash mixture.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until the casserole is bubbly and the cracker topping is golden brown.
Recipe Notes
- You can also make this casserole with zucchini or a combination of yellow squash and zucchini.
- This casserole would also be good with other melty cheeses like Gruyère or Monterey Jack. Use your favorite!
Recipe slightly adapted from Paula Deen.
Jackie
How much sour cream?
Michelle
Oops! 1/2 cup of sour cream. Recipe has been updated!
Lori in Tennessee
Because yellow squash has such a high water content, how do you keep the casserole from being too soggy?
Thank you
Michelle
Hey, Lori! I have actually never had this casserole come out soggy – just nice and creamy. The crushed crackers and cheese that get mixed in with the sour cream and the squash always seem to bind everything together very nicely while the crackers on top stay crunchy. When you sauté the squash, if you are noticing a lot of liquid in the pan, you could remove some before adding the other ingredients. Also, a few extra crackers mixed in can help soak up any extra liquid. Hope that helps!