Paula Deen Inspired Squash Casserole

We love to watch the Food Network and we often check the site to find new recipe inspiration. We came across this one searching for a way to use some leftover squash we had in the refrigerator. Paula's recipe calls for a combination of 6 large yellow and zucchini squash. We only had four large yellow squash and we loved the way it turned out.

 

Ingredients:

4 large chopped yellow squash (but feel free to mix it up with some zucchini)

1 small onion, chopped

4 T + 1 T butter

1/2 cup sour cream

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 cup grated cheddar (the sharper the better)

1 package crushed crackers (buttery crackers work best, but any cracker will do)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Chop squash and onions.

 We added all three of these "squash chopping" pictures to show how we prefer the squash chopped in our casserole. Feel free to chop the squash any way you like - we think it cooks just a bit faster chopped finely.

3. Saute the squash and onions in 4 T butter over medium low heat (about 20 minutes) until onions are translucent and squash is broken down.

4. Line a colander with cheese cloth (if you don't have cheese cloth use a thin tea towel - just be sure it does not smell strongly of fabric softener). Place cooked squash and onions in the lined colander. You may need to let it cool for a few minutes. Squeeze excess liquid from the squash.

If the squash and onions are cooled you can squeeze the liquid out by hand.

If you don't want to wait for it to cool use the back of your spatula to squeeze out the liquid.

5. Mix all ingredients together, except cracker crumbs.

6. Use remaining 1 T butter to coat a small casserole dish (we used our pie plate).

7. Pour mixture into the dish and spread evenly.

8. Crush your crackers and pour over the top of the casserole.

Since the only crackers we had were saltine crackers we topped the casserole with a few pats of butter.

9. Bake for 25-30 minutes in the center of your oven.

This is an easy recipe and a great dish to take to your next family gathering or fellowship meal. It will pair well with pork chops or some southern fried chicken. I think its a great stand-alone dish too!