My mom loves vegetables. She loves them so much that I honestly think she could eat nothing but salad, every day, and be perfectly happy. I, on the other hand, have never been a huge veg eater, and that goes double for yellow squash (one of mama’s favorites). To be honest, the summer squashes are just so mushy and blah that I’ve never cared for them. I eat them more often now, mostly in the form of zoodles, but I generally just don’t bother.
This casserole is one of the few exceptions. It’s creamy, but still hasn’t some texture and doesn’t make it into the mushy category, plus it’s cheesy and kind of wonderfully flavorful. I based it, in large part, on Paula Deen’s old squash casserole recipe, which I did actually enjoy in the before-keto times. Obviously, there are some ingredient changes (no Ritz crackers to be found here!), and I had to be a little creative in doing so, but overall I think I’ve got the flavor and texture pretty darned close. It’s tasty enough that my mush-averse husband thoroughly enjoys it whenever it grace so our table.

Summer Squash Casserole
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Prep Time: 20 min
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Cook Time: 30 min
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Total Time: 50 minutes
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Yield: 6 servings
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Category: Casserole
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Method: Baked
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Cuisine: Southern
Description
6 NET carbs per serving
Ingredients
- 32 oz (907 g) yellow summer squash, rinsed and cut into 1/8″ rounds
- 6 tbsp (3 oz/ 85 g) salted butter, divided
- 1 oz (28 g) onion, finely diced
- 1 tsp Seasoned Salt
- 1/2 c (4 fl oz/ 118 ml) sour cream
- 1/4 c (2 fl oz/ 59 ml) heavy cream
- 4 oz (113 g) sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 oz (28 g) crushed pork rinds (for a vegetarian option, use almond flour)
- 1 oz (28 g) grated parmesan cheese
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and prepare a casserole dish.
- In a large skillet, melt 3 tbsp. the butter over medium heat.
- Once the butter is hot and foamy, add the squash and onions to the skillet.
- Cook the squash over medium heat until very soft, about 10 minutes.
- Pour the squash into a colander to drain.
- After any liquid has drained off, put the squash into a tea towel and squeeze as much excess moisture out as you can. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine sour cream, heavy cream, and Seasoned Salt.
- Add the squash and shredded cheddar to the sour cream mixture and mix well to combine. Transfer mixture to the casserole dish and smooth out the top.
- In a small bowl, combine the crushed pork rinds, parmesan, dried parsley, and garlic powder. Melt the remaining 3 tbsp butter.
- Sprinkle the pork rind mixture evenly over the top of the casserole, then drizzle with melted butter.
- Bake the casserole at 350 degrees F for 30-35 minutes, until it’s bubbly and the topping is lightly browned and crispy.
- Remove from the oven and let stand 5-10 minutes before serving hot.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/6 recipe
- Calories: 356
- Fat: 32.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 7.8 g (see Description for NET carbs)
- Fiber: 1.8 g
- Protein: 11.3 g
Keywords: Squash casserole, summer squash
What do you do with the onions?
Good catch! I fixed the recipe, but you basically just sauté them along with your squash.
I made this tonight and it was soooo very good. I didn’t drain the squash as there wasn’t much liquid in the saute pan after cooking them with just the onion and a little butter. I used almond flour instead of pork rinds since I’m allergic to pork. The taste and texture was excellent. I will definitely make this again!
★★★★★
Wonderful tasting recipe, thank you so much for sharing it!!
★★★★★
Wonderful tasting recipe, thank you so much for sharing it!!
★★★★★
What could you use for the topping instead of pork rinds?