Ritz crackers, cheese, and a simple sauce take your zucchini and yellow squash to a whole new level. You’re going to love throwing this simple Fabulous Squash Casserole together. This delicious casserole isn’t just for summer, though. It’s a great side dish to add to your Thanksgiving dinner or any other holiday meal.
I don’t need to remind you, but in case you are new here, as much as I love cooking, I’m kind of lazy about it. I like to find a way to take complicated steps out of recipes or shorten them. Basically, I don’t want extra dishes. But for those of you who don’t mind extra dishes or steps, I’ll give you the choice of whether or not you want to preboil the squash or just leave it be.
The benefit of preboiling the squash is that it takes the moisture out. If you don’t preboil it, the casserole will have a little extra moisture in it. So if that will bother you, preboil it. No one I’ve made this for has been bothered by the little bit of extra liquid in the casserole because the flavor is so delicious. But, as I said, you can decide how you want to make it.
If you preboil it, you just want to parboil it–partially cook it by boiling it for a short period of time. Start by salting some water and bringing it to a boil. Once it’s boiling, put the squash slices in for 4-5 minutes. Drain them well, add them to the sauce, and bake immediately. Note: If you do not preboil the squash, the casserole will need to bake for 90 minutes instead of 60 minutes.
Either way you do it, the flavor is AWESOME, and you will love this Fabulous Squash Casserole.
My Favorite Zucchini Recipes
- The Best Zucchini Bread Recipe
- Sautéed Zucchini and Yellow Squash with Garlic and Parmesan
- Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
- Zucchini Cheese Bake
- Million Dollar Zucchini Skillet
- Chocolate Zucchini Sheet Cake
Step-by-Step Pictures for how to make Fabulous Squash Casserole
Frequently Asked Questions about making Fabulous Squash Casserole
What should I do if my squash is huge? Is it okay to use them, or do I need to use smaller Squash?
If your squash is large and soggy-looking inside where the seeds are, you can cut them in half diagonally and scoop out the seeds/insides with a spoon. Once you have done that, you can choose to slice them into thin half-moon shapes or dice them into small pieces.
Can I use frozen zucchini or yellow squash for this recipe?
No. Unfortunately, frozen zucchini will not work in this casserole.
Can I use fresh onion or does it have to be dehydrated?
If you use fresh onion, it needs to be grated or diced very, very small to ensure that it will cook completely. This way you won’t have bites of semi-raw onion in your casserole.
can I use Onion powder instead of dehydrated onion?
Yes, you can. You will need to use 1 1/2 tsp of onion powder in place of the dehydrated onion.
If I Don’t have Ritz Crackers is there anything I can substitute?
Club crackers, bread crumbs, or even crushed corn flakes will work as substitutes for Ritz Crackers.
cook’s tools:
Delicious served with...
- 2 small zucchini, thinly sliced
- 2 small yellow squash, thinly sliced
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup shredded Colby Jack or cheddar cheese, plus more for sprinkling on top
- ⅓ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, plus more for sprinkling on top
- 2 eggs
- 2 tbsp dehydrated minced onion
- 1½ tsp garlic salt
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp butter, melted
- 1 cup crushed Ritz Crackers
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Thinly slice the zucchini and yellow squash. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, stir together the ½ cup Colby Jack cheese, softened cream cheese, sour cream, ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, eggs, dehydrated onion, garlic salt, and pepper.
- Once the sauce is thoroughly mixed, add the sliced squash and toss until everything is well coated.
- In a small bowl, stir together the melted butter and crushed Ritz Crackers.
- Pour squash mixture into a glass baking dish. You can choose the size. I used a 1½-quart dish. (Read the second paragraph of this post to see how dish size affects cooking time.)
- Next, top the squash with a handful of shredded cheese, a sprinkle of parmesan cheese, and then the buttery Ritz Cracker crumbs.
- Bake at 350 degrees uncovered for 1-2 hours, depending on the size of the baking dish you choose. Bake the casserole until the entire dish is hot and bubbly throughout, the squash is tender, and the crackers are nicely browned. My casserole was so thick and needed 1 hour and 40 minutes to cook because of the pan I chose.
- Enjoy!
My Favorite Casseroles
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