Squash Casserole with Ritz Cracker Topping
Summer Squash
Yellow summer squash casserole with Ritz cracker topping is one of our favorite Southern comfort foods. It’s great for the main dish at lunch or a side dish with dinner. And it’s easy to make!
Plus, it’s harvest time for fresh squash!
Ingredients you’ll need for this recipe
Squash & Onion
Wash the squash and peel the onion. Chop into medium size pieces. Just chop off the ends of the squash and discard.
Preheat the oven to 350-375° Place the chopped squash and onion in a medium saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer. Cook until tender. It should only take 10-15 minutes. Check for tenderness with a fork.
Tips
Place a wooden spoon over the top of the pan to keep the mixture from boiling over.
Get rid of the onion smell on your hands by rubbing a little lemon juice on them.
jeannie
Cast Iron Skillet
While the squash and onion are cooking, prepare your pan. I used a medium-sized cast iron skillet for the squash casserole but you can use anything that is oven-safe. Grease with butter, vegetable oil, or cooking spray and set aside.
Cheddar Cheese
Grate two cups of sharp cheddar cheese and set aside. You can use prepackaged shredded cheese if you like, but freshly shredded has a better taste in my opinion.
However, you’ll find a package or two in my frig right now! Grating my own just depends on how much time I have to prepare a dish. I’m guilty.
Mix Together
When the squash and onion have cooked until tender, drain off the liquid and discard. Mash the squash and onion a bit, but not too much. You want to keep a sort of chunky consistency. Drain the liquid a second time.
Cut up 1/2 a stick of butter (4 tablespoons) and add to the squash and onion. Add 1/2 cup of mayonnaise and stir. Beat one egg and add to the mixture. I left this step out of the video but I went back and mentioned it)))
Add 1 1/2 cups of shredded sharp cheddar cheese. Reserve about 1/2 cup for the topping. Stir all this up and pour it into your prepared pan.
Topping
The topping for this easy squash casserole is one of the best parts! Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the casserole. Crumble up a sleeve of Ritz crackers over the cheese. It occurred to me after writing the recipe that Ritz crackers now come in more sizes than the “standard” sleeve that I grew up with and still buy.
So I looked it up (on the internet of course) and found that a sleeve of Ritz crackers is about 30-32 crackers. To verify this I counted a sleeve that was in my pantry. Indeed it had 31 crackers!
Melt the other 1/2 stick of butter and pour over the crackers.
Bake for 20-25 minutes until hot, bubbly, and golden brown. If it seems to be browning too quickly, just lay a piece of tin foil over the pan.
My husband loves squash any way I prepare it. The grandchildren had rather have fried squash and that recipe is linked.
Enjoy!
Enjoy a squash casserole for lunch. That’s what we had this past weekend. I served it up with fresh sliced tomatoes, pickled okra, toasted French bread, and a glass of iced tea.
Leftovers warm up well too! The topping will lose some of its crispness if you use the microwave to warm it up. To save the crispness warm it up in the oven or air fryer. It only takes a few minutes longer))
For more Southern-style recipes, you may like these:
Southern Yellow Squash Casserole with Ritz Cracker Topping
Equipment
- medium cast iron skillet or oven proof casserole dish
Ingredients
- 3 Yellow Squash
- ½ Onion
- 1 stick Butter divided
- ½ cup Mayonnaise
- 1 Egg
- 2 cup Sharp Cheddar Cheese Shredded and divided
- Salt
- Pepper
- 32 Ritz Crackers 1 Sleeve of crackers approx 30-32
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350-375° and great a medium-sized cast iron skillet, or oven-proof casserole dish, with butter, vegetable oil, or cooking spray.Wash squash, cut off ends, and cut into chunks. Peel onion and chop it into coarse pieces. Place in a saucepan and cover with water.Bring to a boil then simmer until tender. Test with a fork. May take 10-15 min.Grate 2 cups of sharp cheddar cheese and set aside. Once the squash and onions are tender, drain the liquid. Mash up slightly and drain again. Don't cream the squash and onion to pieces.Add 1/2 stick of butter to the squash and onion mixture. Stir.Stir in 1/2 cup of mayonnaise. Add some salt and pepper (you may want to add more after it's cooked and you can taste it, so go lightly)Beat one egg and stir in. This was not shown in the video…my bad!Add 1 1/2 cups of shredded sharp cheddar cheese to the mixture and stir. Reserve about a half-cup of cheese for topping.Pour mixture into a greased cast iron skillet or casserole dish. Crumble 1 sleeve (30-32) Ritz crackers on top. Top with remaining shredded cheese. Melt 1/2 stick of butter.Pour melted butter over crumbled crackers. Bake at 350-375° until hot, bubbly, and golden brown. If it seems to be browning too quickly, lay a piece of tin foil over the top.Allow to cool for just a few minutes and to set well. Serve hot as a main dish with a salad, or a side dish with chicken, ham, or roast beef.
I used to make this and it’s delicious, thank you for bringing it back. Squash is almost ready for picking.
Thanks for visiting my blog Priscilla, I appreciate it))) Do you have squash in your garden?