Squash Casserole

A tried-and-true family favorite recipe made with fresh yellow squash and herb stuffing that's perfect at Thanksgiving, potlucks and holiday dinners.

Everybody has favorite side dishes at special meals like Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner. Most folks around here would say it’s Baked Macaroni & Cheese or Cornbread Dressing – and I love those too!

But my most favorite side dish is this squash casserole! It’s the one in Mama’s big black cookbook. The one with all the handwritten recipes. The one I call the Family Bible. 

I’ve had squash casserole made with cheese, some made with crackers, some with mayo but this one right here is the best I’ve ever had! I have no clue where the recipe came from or how old it is but it’s absolutely perfect. 

What’s a little strange to me is that the ingredients that go into this aren’t anything special on their own but when you put them all together, something magnificent happens! It’s like eating stuffing that already has gravy mixed into it. Then the vegetables bring in some texture and BOOM! pure bliss!

HERE’S ALL YOU NEED TO MAKE SQUASH CASSEROLE

• Fresh squash (obviously)
• Onions
• Carrots
• Cream of Chicken Soup (crazy right?)
• Pepperidge Farm stuffing
• Sour cream
• Butter

You can either boil the squash or sauté it. I usually sauté it in a big cast iron pan like I’m making my Stewed Squash recipe because I think it does a better job of letting the taste and texture of the squash come through but Mama usually boils it.

From time to time I get too big for my britches and start thinking I can improve old family recipes because, ya know, I’m like somebody now. I’m Miss Fancy Pants Blog Lady so of course I can make something good even better with my amazing cooking prowess.

I mean, I know what sous vide is and I’ve met Cat Cora and I’ve cooked in Kitchen Stadium so obviously I must know everything about cooking and recipes. 

Pfffft. The changes I tried on this recipe were total fails and I know now I just need to leave well enough alone. Classic recipes people pass down for decades don’t keep getting made generation after generation if they weren’t already the best versions. 

HOW NOT TO MAKE THIS RECIPE (IN CASE YOU WERE WONDERING)

• I tried both Cream of Onion and Cream of Celery in this because… chicken?? There ain’t even any chicken in this recipe so why would we use Cream of Chicken??? Because it tastes good. That’s why. The End. You can try others if you want but I’m telling you, none are better than Cream of Chicken.
• I tried it with less butter. And it was dry. Don’t do it. You will want to use less but just… don’t.
• I’ve finely diced (instead of grated) the carrot and onion then sautéed them first (because surely to God that would be better). Anybody want to guess which was best? Yup. Just use raw grated onion and carrots. 
• I’ve made it with the whole bag of stuffing. It was dry. It was wrong. It made my family look at me and ask why??
• I was on a health kick once and used reduced fat sour cream and lightened up soup. Horrible. They replace the fat with starch which makes for dry casseroles and broken dreams. 

squash, yellow squash, casserole, best, pepperidge farm, stuffing, herb, cream of chicken, sour cream, fresh, potluck, thanksgiving, how to, family recipe, summer

side dish, potluck

american, southern

Yield: 8-10 Servings

Author: Mandy Rivers | South Your Mouth

Squash Casserole

A tried-and-true family favorite recipe made with fresh yellow squash and herb stuffing that's perfect at Thanksgiving, potlucks and holiday dinners.

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 35 MinTotal time: 50 Min

Ingredients

• 4 lbs fresh yellow squash
• 1 small onion
• 1 large carrot
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 10-oz can cream of chicken soup
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1 12-oz bag herb seasoned stuffing

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Wash squash well then cut into slices (about 1/4 inch thick). Boil or pan-fry until very tender (see recipe notes) then drain well.
3. Meanwhile, using a box grater, grate carrot and onion (just like you would shred cheese) then add to a large mixing bowl.
4. Add sour cream, creamed soup (do not prepare first) and butter then mix well.
5. Add 3/4 of the bag of stuffing and cooked squash to the bowl then gently fold until well combined.
6. Pour mixture into a greased 2-quart baking dish. Top mixture with some of the leftover dry stuffing (not all of it, just enough to make a uniform top crust).
7. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until heated through. Cover loosely with foil after 20 minutes to prevent overbrowning.

Notes:

• To boil the squash, simply add the sliced squash to salted boiling water then cook for about 7-8 minutes or until tender. Drain well.
• To pan-fry the squash, heat a little oil (or bacon grease!) in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add squash, season with salt and pepper, then sauté until tender (about 10-12 minutes). Drain liquid from pan if present. 
• I use Pepperidge Farm's Herb Seasoned Classic Stuffing
• You can use other Cream of Something soups but Cream of Chicken tastes best. 
• Don’t use the whole bag of stuffing or the casserole will be dry.

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