Old McDonald had a farm.... with SQUASH!

If you are looking for a great squash recipe... look no further!  Below is all you will need for a creamy and buttery squash casserole with a crunchy topping and you don't need to add milk or cheese!  I know what you are thinking.... a casserole without cheese??  Now, I am a HUGE cheese lover, but my husband can't eat cheese so I usually have to tweak recipes for our dinner menu when they involve cheese of any kind.

We have a ton of zucchini and yellow crookneck squash in our garden this year so I made this casserole a few weeks ago and it's been on our weekly dinner menu ever since (and my neighbor's dinner menu, too!).

Here is all you will need:
1 zucchini, sliced
1 yellow crookneck squash, sliced
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 yellow onion, diced
1 sleeve of Ritz crackers, divided ( I use the garden vegetable flavor)
2 T. butter (melted)
salt (to taste)
pepper (to taste)
Optional: red pepper flakes (to taste)
            
Tip:  You can add 2 T. of sour cream if you want a thicker creamier texture.  I stay away from it just because my husband can't eat it, but it will thicken the "sauce" of the casserole.

Tip:  I use the Garden Vegetable flavor of Ritz crackers because they are DELICIOUS and add additional texture and flavor to the dish.

Begin by slicing your squash and zucchini....

Next, mince your garlic and dice your onions and add that to your squash/zucchini mixture.

Then, add your can of cream of mushroom soup.  

Next, add your salt and pepper.  I use kosher salt in all of my cooking (except for baking) and I never measure.  I just grab a pinch and throw it in.  I use a pepper mill and grind fresh pepper and I don't measure that, either.  Just a couple turns of the mill and I am done.

Then, take half of the sleeve of the Ritz crackers, and crush them by hand and add to your squash mixture.  Stir everything together with a large spoon until your casserole is all combined.

Pour your casserole into an oven safe dish.  Then, take the rest of the Ritz crackers and sprinkle them over the top of the casserole, like the picture below.

Lastly, take the melted butter and pour it over the crumbled Ritz cracker topping. 

Bake casserole at 350 degrees for 50 minutes.  For the last 5 minutes, I turn on the broiler to turn the top of the casserole crispy (my husband likes it CRISPY!) and to give the topping a golden brown color.  Watch so it doesn't burn! 

I served this casserole with a turkey meatloaf (another household favorite).  This delicious, creamy and flavorful casserole is 'just an idea' away from making it to your dinner table tonight!  You won't be sorry! 

Bon Appetit!  

xoxo,

Brenda