We got home from Memphis on Sunday night, hauled the bags in, flipped on the patio light and found a yellow squash the size of Jack's forearm lying across the raised bed like it had waited up for us.
Two plants. That's all I put in this spring, because last June I planted four and Deb next door started closing her blinds when she saw me coming with a grocery sack. By Wednesday there were fourteen squash on the counter, lined up by size, and Waylon had carried one out to the yard and chewed the neck off. He did not finish it. Nobody in this house finishes plain squash.
So, casserole. Granny June made squash casserole every June, the first week her plants got ahead of her, and her card is one of the shortest in the red box: "Squash, onion, butter, sour cream, cheese, egg, 1 sleeve Ritz. 350 till brown."
The Ritz-cracker argument
That "1 sleeve Ritz" has started a phone call with my mother every summer since 2019. Mom swears Granny stirred half the crackers into the squash and put the rest on top. I remember them only on top, buttery and loud when your spoon broke through. There are no witnesses. Mom was busy with deviled eggs and I was eight.
This year I tested it, and Mom is half right, which I have not told her. Crackers stirred into the filling soak up the liquid the squash lets go of in the oven. Squash is mostly water, and as it heats the cells break down and release it, which is why so many squash casseroles come out swimming. A half cup of crumbs inside drinks that up and helps the eggs set. The rest go on top with butter, for the crunch everyone fights over.
I learned about squash water the hard way. My first casserole after Granny died, I skipped draining the cooked squash because the card didn't say to. It tasted right and looked like soup. We served it with a slotted spoon.
As for lightening it a little: Granny used a whole stick of butter and, when she had one in the pantry, a can of cream of chicken soup. I dropped the soup, kept the sour cream and eggs, and cut the butter to three tablespoons, most of it on the crackers where you can taste it. It tastes more like squash now, which is the point in June.
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 pounds yellow squash (6 or 7 medium), sliced 1/4 inch thick
- 1 medium sweet onion, chopped
- 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
- 3 tablespoons butter, divided
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2 large eggs
- 6 ounces sharp cheddar, shredded (about 1 1/2 cups), divided
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 sleeve Ritz crackers (about 32), crushed
How I make it
- Put the squash, onion, 1 teaspoon of the salt and 1/2 cup water in a large pot. Cover and simmer 10 to 12 minutes, stirring once, until the squash is completely soft.
- Drain in a colander and press with the back of a spoon. Wait 10 minutes and press again. You should lose close to a cup of liquid.
- Heat the oven to 350°F. Rub a 2-quart baking dish with 1 tablespoon of the butter.
- Whisk the sour cream, eggs, pepper, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1 cup of the cheese and 1/2 cup of the cracker crumbs in a big bowl. Fold in the squash and spread it in the dish.
- Melt the other 2 tablespoons of butter, toss it with the rest of the crumbs and the remaining cheese, and scatter that over the top.
- Bake 30 to 35 minutes, until the edges bubble, the center barely jiggles and the top is deep golden. Let it rest 10 minutes so it sets before you scoop.
You can assemble it a day ahead without the topping and keep it covered in the fridge, then add the crumbs and bake about 10 minutes longer. For the squash that won't fit in any casserole, I slice it, blanch it 3 minutes, cool it in ice water and freeze it in 2-cup bags. There are six in the chest freezer already, and it's only June.
With the squash free from the backyard, the whole dish cost about $6.50, most of it cheese and sour cream. Jack gave it a seven, which for a vegetable is a standing ovation. My card, filed behind Granny's, now says "June 2025: half the crumbs in, half on top. Drain twice." I'll let Mom find it herself.
