Squash casserole

[SunnySmile501]

I am run over with four kinds of summer squash. I am fixing them several ways, but would love to come up with a good casserole, but all the recipes I look at use stuffing mix or bread crumbs and canned soup. I want to use only non-processed foods for my casserole, so no canned soup.

I was thinking along the lines of sour cream, heavy cream, or something like that for a binder. I have fresh onions, garlic and many, many fresh herbs growing in my garden, so I have a lot to work with. Any ideas?

Sunny!

[kellymch2006]

Re: Squash casserole

Oh, yeah. I'll tell you what I'd do. (other than wishing I'd started a garden and was overrun with summer squash.)

Boil it with onions, drain, mash it coarsely with a fork. Add 8 ounces of sour cream and half a bag of crushed pork rinds. (the hot and spicy would give extra flavor.) Top with the rest of the crushed pork rinds and 1/2 cup of melted butter. Bake at 350 for about thirty minutes.....

So many things to do: add chopped green pepper when you boil it, Add some shredded cheddar cheese...

I have crookneck in the fridge and I usually just sautee it in butter with garlic. Yumm. I also love stewed squash.

[SunnySmile501]

Re: Squash casserole

Thanks! Great idea! So far I am roasting it with other veggies and garlic, grilling it, stewing it, frying it and making fresh ratatouille.

For lack of any concrete ideas, today I am making lasagna with zucchini for the noodles. I finally bought a mandoline slicer so I can slice thin, wide slices.

[marcella]

Re: Squash casserole

I know that there is a wonderful squash and sausage recipe that I read somewhere...can't remember where, but if you are creative, maybe you can start with those two ingredients and come up with something - because squash and sausage go great together!

[theredhead]

Re: Squash casserole

I think this one is delicious: Linda's Low Carb Menus & Recipes

There are a whole lot more on this page of Linda Sue's site:
Linda's Low Carb Menus & Recipes - Side Dish Recipes

[SunnySmile501]

Re: Squash casserole

I think this one is delicious: Linda's Low Carb Menus & Recipes

There are a whole lot more on this page of Linda Sue's site:
Linda's Low Carb Menus & Recipes - Side Dish Recipes

Mmmmmmmm That does look good! I'll try that one for sure.

[not2late]

Re: Squash casserole

Slice them lengthwise. Then salt them and let them sit and allow the water to drain off them. Rinse them and pat them dry. The slices can be used like noodles for a low carb lasagna or as noodles for a low carb "manicotti" or something like that.

If you can get a hold of a julienne slicer (it looks like a vegetable peeler but it has teeth) or a mandoline, you can slice the squash lengthwise to make spaghetti or fettucini "noodles". I like doing that and mixing them with other veggies I can noodle-ize like carrots, daikon, leeks, onions, etc. and cooking them as vegetable medley with a cheese-cream sauce.

IF making noodles is too much of a hassle, I like to slice them into coins and layer them in a casserole with slices of eggplant, tomato sauce and cheese. Bake in the oven. Sometimes I'll toss some cooked meat in there in place of the eggplant.

[SunnySmile501]

Re: Squash casserole

Slice them lengthwise. Then salt them and let them sit and allow the water to drain off them. Rinse them and pat them dry. The slices can be used like noodles for a low carb lasagna or as noodles for a low carb "manicotti" or something like that.

If you can get a hold of a julienne slicer (it looks like a vegetable peeler but it has teeth) or a mandoline, you can slice the squash lengthwise to make spaghetti or fettucini "noodles". I like doing that and mixing them with other veggies I can noodle-ize like carrots, daikon, leeks, onions, etc. and cooking them as vegetable medley with a cheese-cream sauce.

IF making noodles is too much of a hassle, I like to slice them into coins and layer them in a casserole with slices of eggplant, tomato sauce and cheese. Bake in the oven. Sometimes I'll toss some cooked meat in there in place of the eggplant.

I just bought a mandoline slicer and used it today to make lasagna for the first time. It turned out great. I have some very firm, long and straight zucchini, which worked out perfectly. This is the first time I have had lasagna since starting Atkins.

I have a recipe for a white lasagna called Sprach which I have tried other things to take the place of noodles, but none of them good. I am excited to use the zucchini 'noodles' to make Sprach. It has cottage cheese, eggs, spinach, mozzarella and pepper jack cheese.

The vegetable medley with cheese-cream sauce sounds good.

[chinadoll]

Re: Squash casserole

I play with sour cream, cream cheese and egg alot for casseroles. Then mix up other hard cheeses for different flavors. Also my son LOVES zucchini or yellow squash "noodles" sauteed and tossed with pesto--not a casserole, but very tasty!

[not2late]

Re: Squash casserole

Sunny, here's a recipe for zuccini chips:
Country Lore: Make Zucchini Chips

If you have a food dehydrator or can borrow one, this will really help you use up (and store) those homegrown zukes!

PS: if you have fresh pumpkin or winter squash, it makes a great "lasagna" too. Just slice the pumpkin into 1/4 inch pieces and layer the slices with a meat sauce and cheese. Bake until the pumpkin slices are tender and eat. That's my favorite use for fresh pumpkin---a nice, tasty, comfort food type dish that reheats nicely in the microwave (makes a GREAT take to work lunch!)

[IrishIrish]

Re: Squash casserole

2 1/4 pounds summer squash, quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise (about 10 cups)
2/3 cup finely chopped yellow onion
1 4-ounce can chopped green chiles
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
2 1/4 cups grated extra-sharp Cheddar cheese (about 7 ounces), divided
4 scallions, thinly sliced, for garnish
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion for garnish

Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

[SunnySmile501]

Re: Squash casserole

I play with sour cream, cream cheese and egg alot for casseroles. Then mix up other hard cheeses for different flavors. Also my son LOVES zucchini or yellow squash "noodles" sauteed and tossed with pesto--not a casserole, but very tasty!

That is an idea that I need to try. I have never tasted pesto, but I grew extra basil this year so I could try it. I have the pine nuts and plenty of fresh garlic, but I couldn't think of anything legal on which to eat the pesto. This should work. I have the mandoline slicer that I can make the 'noodles'!

I am making a big pot of ratatouille right now with 4 different squash, leeks, garlic, fresh tomatoes and fresh herbs.

Tonight, I am going to combine ideas from each of you and make a squash casserole with leeks and fresh mushrooms.

[SunnySmile501]

Re: Squash casserole

Oh, my goodness, was that GOOD! I used everybody's ideas and came up with a keeper. I only used zephyr and flying saucer squash, since they are so meaty and sweet. I couldn't bring myself to boil the squash, so I sautéed the coins and slices in butter. I also sautéed the onions, leeks, hot Hungarian wax pepper and three types of fresh mushrooms (crimini, shiitake and oyster) in butter.

I mixed together cream cheese, sour cream, heavy cream and egg for the sauce. I only had a block of Swiss cheese, so I shredded that and also used parmesan cheese on top. I baked it in the iron skillet in which I sautéed all the veggies.

That was my whole dinner. Since it had egg and cheese as well as cream, I didn't need any other protein.

This is the flying saucer squash

This is the zephyr squash

[chinadoll]

Re: Squash casserole

Sunny, I mix 1/2 tbsp. pesto with 2 tbsp. mayo and use it as a sauce for broiled salmon and skinless chicken breasts. It is heavenly. If you make pesto, be sure to lightly toast the pine nuts in a frying pan before using them. The taste is so much richer. I would bet you could think up a way to use it with turnips, too. I also use the pesto on veggies but I usually add a bit more olive oil because the taste is so strong. And don't forget spaghetti squash--pesto, a little butter and some romano cheese-- mmmmm. That just might be dinner tonight!

[SunnySmile501]

Re: Squash casserole

Sunny, I mix 1/2 tbsp. pesto with 2 tbsp. mayo and use it as a sauce for broiled salmon and skinless chicken breasts. It is heavenly. If you make pesto, be sure to lightly toast the pine nuts in a frying pan before using them. The taste is so much richer. I would bet you could think up a way to use it with turnips, too. I also use the pesto on veggies but I usually add a bit more olive oil because the taste is so strong. And don't forget spaghetti squash--pesto, a little butter and some romano cheese-- mmmmm. That just might be dinner tonight!

I made pesto today! I made it the hard way--I hand chopped everything. I don't think my arm will ever be the same! I didn't toast the pine nuts, though. I looked at several recipes and only one said to toast them first.

I used the 'shoestring' blade on my mandoline slicer to make the noodles. I used a small, very firm zucchini and a zepher squash. It turned out really good. I'm going to use the noodles with a pasta sauce soon.

Thanks a lot for the suggestion!