Summer Squash Casserole
True origins of the dish are unknown, but versions of this Southern casserole emerged in the 1800s and by the 20th Century, it was a popular way to serve summer squash.
Food historians cannot for certain say when this dish originated or exactly where, except that it is a product of the New World. The Summer Squash as it is sometimes called, although available now almost all year long, also called Yellow Squash or Crook-Neck Squash, is indigenous to the North American continent and the earliest archeological record of their cultivation and consumption by neolithic humans is around 8,000 years ago. It's a safe bet that as the New World dairy production developed onward from the 17th Century that someone somewhere got the idea of adding butter, cream and cheese to boiled Yellow Squash with onions and then baking it as a casserole over an open hearth fire.
The Internet abounds with squash casserole recipes, as varied and diverse as you might expect, but this one seems to have the oldest lineage because it's the simplest. It's often referred to as "Southern Style" squash casserole and in fact, the crook-neck squash grew wild throughout the southeastern US.
As modern dairy production took root in the late 1800s, this classic squash casserole emerged and since the earliest 20th Century, it has been a staple menu recipe for many a church social or potluck supper. It's easy to prepare and has transportability; but most importantly, it tastes great. It is, in fact, the only way I will actually eat yellow squash.
But how it got to Kitchen Tapestry is an even more interesting story.
This recipe specifically comes from a 3" x 5" index card written in the 16 year-old handwriting of My Number One Fan who grew up in a suburb of Nashville with her working mom who hated to cook. Once My Number One Fan was old enough to drive, she volunteered to take over grocery shopping and cooking dinner in exchange for getting out of vacuuming the house, cleaning the bathroom and doing the laundry.
As was quite common in the 1960s, women's social groups and certainly many churches would produce recipe books as fund-raisers with all contributions coming from their membership. The origination of this recipe comes from just such a recipe book and was transcribed to a recipe card by the adolescent iteration of My Number One Fan, basically to get out of doing more housework. My Number One Fan is a clever girl.
She's made this recipe innumerable times, and it only occurred to me after making it myself that I realized I had never posted it to Kitchen Tapestry.
The one thing to bear in mind is that the recipe cannot be finite because the volume of squash used might vary, even if you start with about a pound of fresh squash. Generally, this recipe will hold true if you have roughly 2-1/2 cups of squash and onion after they have been initially cooked. As you mix the ingredients together, and if your mixture is too wet, add additional cheese. If too dry, add more cream. When your ingredients are combined in the proper ratios, the final mixture will be loose, but not runny.
I have a suspicion that this recipe found its way onto the back of a box of Ritz Crackers at some point in the 1950s or '60s, although I cannot validate that. But topping the casserole with crumbled Ritz Crackers is considered the only truly Southern way to finish this dish. In our kitchen, we prefer Keebler Townhouse crackers, which we think have better texture.
By the way, the original recipe called for chopped yellow onion, which you can certainly use as we have for many years. But recently, My Number One Fan used a Vidalia sweet yellow onion she happened to have on hand and the flavor of the casserole was enhanced such that we have amended the recipe to use a sweet onion exclusively. If that is unavailable, however, substitute only a yellow onion. A white or Bermuda onion is too powerful and a red onion is too sweet.
Summer Squash Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 lb yellow squash
- 1 large sweet yellow onion (like, Vidalia or Texas-1015)
- 1 to 1- 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1/4 to 1/3 cup heavy cream
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 dollop sour cream
- 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp salt, plus 3 tbsp for the simmering water
- 1/8 tsp ground black pepper
- sprinkle of paprika
- non-stick cooking spray (like, Pam)
- 10-12 buttery crackers, crumbled (like, Ritz, Club or Townhouse)
Instructions
- Cut away any blemishes on the squash, remove the ends and then cut into unpeeled slices, about 1/2-inch thick. Similarly cut the onion into 1/2-inch wedged slices.
- Put the vegetables into a Dutch oven or soup pot and fill with enough cold water to cover. Add 3 tbsp salt to the water and stir well until dissolved.
- Bring the squash and onions to a boil, then turn the heat to medium low and simmer covered for 1 hour until the squash is very tender.
- Drain well through a colander and allow the squash to steam dry for a minute, but don't let it cool off too much. Use a couple of paper towels to further soak up excess water if necessary.
- Pre-heat the oven to 350°F.
- While the squash and onions are still hot, return them to the pot in which they were cooked and add the butter to melt.
- Add the cheese, cream, egg, sour cream, nutmeg and the salt & pepper and mix well.
- Pour the mixture into a 9" x 9" casserole dish treated with the cooking spray. Level the mixture with a spatula and top with the cracker crumbs.
- Bake uncovered 30-40 minutes until the mixture is bubbly and the top has browned a bit.
