A Summer Smash Hit: Squash & Zucchini Casserole

Squash & Zucchini Casserole

I cannot begin to tell you how much the internet and social media has added to my culinary life. It is just amazing to me that I can have a random thought about a church potluck 30-years ago, and wishing I could have one more taste of ______. Well, thanks to the web, we can all Google combinations of ingredients or names and presto....there is the recipe! I have rediscovered my childhood recipes, one search at a time!

Recently, a dear college friend shared a family favorite, and I too remembered loving this dish as a kid in the 70s. However, me being me, I just felt the need to tweak it a bit and make it my own. It’s annoying to my family. Why can’t I just leave well enough alone. I know, I know. Heard it a zillion times. But I will say, this little experiment worked out pretty darn well, if I do say so myself.

The idea was hatched more out of an overabundance of zucchini in my crisper, than it was trying to be clever. Plus, I did not want to go to the store an get more yellow squash. Okay, so I’m thrifty. Shoot me! It is rich and buttery and the zucchini gives it just a tad bit of texture that the regular recipe does not have. It’s pretty much perfect. 

As with many recipes I tweak for my family, I made our version without the cheese. I don’t think it took away anything with regard to flavor, but made the recipe have fewer calories and fat. You can fix it either way.

Summer Squash & Zucchini Casserole

• 4 cups cubed fresh yellow squash
• 4 cups cubed fresh zucchini
• 1 large onion, chopped

Squash & Zucchini Casserole ingredients

Squash, zucchini and onions in the pot.

Add these to a pot of water, boil until tender. Drain, smash and add the following ingredients:

All ingredients into the pot, mashed.

• 1 can of cream of chicken soup
• 2 eggs, already mixed together
• 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
• 1/2 stick melted butter
• and a little black pepper...

Mix, mush up well then pour into a buttered casserole dish and cover with the following:

Adding cracker topping.

• 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
• 1 cup crushed Ritz or Townhouse crackers (any buttery type)
• 1/2 stick margarine or butter melted

Sprinkle with the cheese, then cover with the cracker crumbs and drizzle the crumbs with the melted butter. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes....when the top gets browned and a knife blade comes out clean when you stab it in the middle of the casserole.

After cracker topping is drizzled with melted butter

After it has browned and is bubbly and oh so yummy!

This side dish can go with just about anything. I like to serve it with fish. Living in New England I became a pro at baking fish and not drying it out. Our fish of choice is salmon. It’s pretty simple.

Baked Salmon seasoned and ready for the oven.

Wash the salmon off, pat it dry and place it, skin side down on a foil lined cookie sheet (or parchment paper lined). Drizzle sheet with olive oil. Add fish. Season with salt, black pepper, a little garlic....or use any seasoning blend you enjoy. Drizzle a little olive oil on top. 

The general rule I was taught, was to bake fish 8-minutes for every inch of thickness. With this slab of salmon, I turned the oven up to 400 degrees and baked it for 9 minutes. It was perfect. Sorry, I forgot to snap a photo after I took it out of the oven. I generally put 4-5 fresh lemon slices across the top as it bakes....I was just out of lemon that day. But it’s easy, quick and much healthier than frying it.

This technique can be used on any type of fish...even catfish filets.

(However, I must note that the side dish has butter and cheese in it...so what you save in being healthy with the baked salmon, is totally lost in the casserole.)

There you go, fresh garden veggies and fish. Give it a go! Maybe it will become a favorite of yours?

As the mixing bowl turns,

Donna ; - )