Squash Casserole - The Recipe Critic (2024)

FAQs

How do you make Paula Deen's squash casserole? ›

In separate medium size skillet, sauté the sliced onion in butter for 5 minutes. Remove from pan and, using a large bowl, add squash, onions, sour cream, Paula Deen's House Seasoning and sharp cheddar cheese. Pour mixture into a buttered casserole dish and top with cracker crumbs. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes.

Salting and sautéing the squash before baking helps to remove excess moisture and prevents the casserole from becoming watery. Cream cheese and sour cream lend the filling richness and tang.

While we love the squash itself, it is the creamy sauce (made from cheese, mayonnaise, and eggs) and crunchy, buttery cracker topping that keeps us coming back for seconds with this classic Old-School Squash Casserole. Squash casserole is a staple dish found at meat-and-three diners and at church covered-dish suppers.

The ingredients listed in order are: "sea salt, granulated garlic, black pepper, granulated onion, ground cumin, and other spices". I have used the recipe listed on this site and included equal amounts of garlic powder and onion powder.

In a large bowl mix the cubed squash, garlic cloves and ginger with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of the spice mix. Season with salt and pepper and scatter in a single layer in a roasting tray. Place in the preheated oven and cook for 30 minutes until tender all the way through.

To prevent a soggy top and a firm or crunchy bottom, it's important to use a shallow baking dish, to cook the casserole at the correct oven temperature and for the appropriate amount of time, and to be mindful of the amount of liquid used in the recipe.

After slicing the squash, salt the slices and place them on a paper-towel lined baking sheet. Let it sit for 30 minutes so that the salt can draw out some of its water. Use the paper-towel to dab off any excess moisture before proceeding with the recipe.

Pro Tip: Avoid Dry Casserole.

The best way to prevent it from drying out is to add a little bit of water, around ¼ cup, to the top of it. Allow the water to seep between the food and the sides of the baking dish. Cover with aluminum foil to seal in the moisture.

Scoop the seeds out, place it cut side down on a pan with sides that has been oiled and cook until tender - a knife inserts through the skin and easily into the flesh. It doesn't matter as far as the cooking goes. The squash doesn't know the difference. Up and down is the only way to do it correctly.

Mature squash were often baked whole in the coals of a fire, or sliced and boiled. Strips of squash were laid in the sun to dry and then stored for use in winter.

Do you have to peel yellow squash before you eat it? ›

Wash squash and cut off ends before eating. The peel is edible and mild. Squash can be eaten raw or cooked.

In the United States, a casserole or hot dish is typically a baked food with three main components: pieces of meat (such as chicken or ground meat) or fish (such as tuna) or other protein (such as beans or tofu), various chopped or canned vegetables (such as green beans or peas), and a starchy binder (such as flour, ...

One 1 1/2 pound butternut squash will yield approximately 4 cups of 1/2-inch cubed squash.

Safely canning any low acid food requires a pressure canner to ensure temperatures high enough to destroy Clostridium botulinum spores that produce a dangerous toxin. However, processing squash and zucchini at such high temperatures in a pressure canner would compact them and create an undesirable mush.

Putting it cut-side down creates a sort-of steam chamber for the flesh, helping it cook faster and retain moisture (no dried out squash here!). If you've added oil to the flesh before cooking, it will brown nicely where it's in contact with the sheet pan.