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Southern Squash Casserole is a comforting side dish casserole, often served during the holidays, with tender, cooked yellow squash, onions, sour cream, and cheddar cheese topped with crushed buttery Ritz crackers.
Growing up this cheesy squash casserole was the only way I would eat squash. We had it on holidays including Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter, as well as for summer bbq and picnics, or church potluck dinners.
This yellow squash casserole is also a fresh summer favorite, when fresh yellow squash is abundant, and a classic holiday side dish, especially for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter dinners.
If you grew up in the South, then you know what I’m talking about. This old fashioned squash casserole was a staple for big gatherings.
I remember the tender squash in a creamy sauce topped with the crunchy buttery cracker topping. It was so good.
I think that the Southern Squash Casserole is one of those Southern Recipes that has been served for decades by generation after generation. Probably because yellow squash grows abundantly in the South during the summer.
However, this Squash casserole is not just for summer. It makes a great side dish for Thanksgiving and other holiday dinners as well.
Another reason the Southern Squash Casserole is so popular is that it is easy to make. Just saute fresh yellow squash in butter or oil with some onions until both are tender.
Then combine with cheesy, creamy sauce.
Place into a casserole dish.
Top with crushed buttery crackers.
Then drizzle melted butter on top so you have a buttery golden crunchy topping on top of the casserole.
Bake the Southern Squash Casserole in the oven until the casserole is heated through and the topping is a light golden brown color.
Yellow Squash Casserole Variations
- All Cheddar Classic – If you prefer a completely mild, old fashioned, traditional flavor profile, you can omit the Pepper Jack Cheese, and use a full cup of shredded sharp cheddar cheese instead.
- Extra Creamy Option – For an ultra smooth and creamy texture, you can add 2 ounces of softened cream cheese directly into your sour cream mixture before folding in the squash.
- The Mayonnaise Alternative – My recipe features a sour cream base. However, you can substitute an equal amount of mayonnaise or use a 50/50 blend of both sour cream and mayonnaise.
- Slow Cooker (Crockpot) Method: This is especially helpful for holidays like Thanksgiving because it frees up precious oven space when you make it ahead. Transfer your prepared squash and cheesy sour cream filling to a slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 2 – 3 hours. To get a crunchy topping without an oven, toast your Ritz crackers in a skillet with 1 tablespoon of butter on the stovetop and sprinkle them over the top of the casserole right before serving.
What To Serve with Southern Squash Casserole?
- Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows OR Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Topping – Pair this Southern Squash Casserole with your Thanksgiving roast turkey or holiday ham and my sweet potato casserole with your favorite topping, either marshmallows or pecans!
- Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes – For a heavenly holiday creamy, cheesy side dish, make this scalloped potatoes recipe.
- Tomato Zucchini Pie – If you are swimming in fresh summer produce, this yellow squash casserole recipe pairs beautifully with Grilled Chicken, and my Tomato Zucchini Pie.
- Instant Pot Dr Pepper BBQ Pulled Pork – For a comforting, effortless family meal, it makes the absolute perfect companion to the smoky flavors of my sweet and tangy Dr Pepper BBQ Pulled Pork for a quick Southern BBQ Dinner.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Yes, It’s the ultimate make ahead Thanksgiving side dish! You can slice and sauté the yellow squash and mix it with the sour cream filling up to 24 hours in advance. Store it covered in the refrigerator. On Thanksgiving Day, remove the casserole from the fridge, and let it sit on the counter for 20 – 30 minutes. To optimize the oven schedule, slide the casserole into the oven while the turkey is resting on the counter, before carving.
Sour cream gives it that tangy flavor and creamy texture. However, you can substitute an equal amount of mayonnaise or full-fat plain Greek yogurt.
To prevent a soggy casserole on the holiday table, make sure to thoroughly drain your cooked summer squash before mixing it with the sour cream, eggs, and cheese.
Yes! While it is a beloved holiday tradition at Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter, this recipe is one of the best ways to use up a bumper crop of fresh yellow squash straight from your summer garden or the local farmers market.
Yes! You can easily turn this into a Southern Zucchini Casserole by replacing either half ,for a Zucchini Summer Squash Casserole, or all of the yellow squash with zucchini. Since zucchini releases a similar amount of moisture as yellow squash, just follow the same directions in sautéing and draining the zucchini to keep your casserole creamy and delicious.
Then gather all your closest family and friends and serve this popular Southern Squash Casserole. It will be a hit. Be sure to leave a review if you made the recipe.
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Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 5 yellow squash sliced into 1/4″ slices
- 1 medium onion chopped
- Salt and pepper to taste
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper optional
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup Pepper Jack cheese
- 8 ounces sour cream
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 sleeve buttery crackers like Ritz crackers
- 2 Tablespoons melted butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350º F.
- In a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add the sliced yellow squash, onions and salt, pepper and cayenne (optional) and cook until tender.
- In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, cheese, and sour cream. Add cooked squash and onions to egg mixture and stir well to combine.
- Spray a 9×13 casserole dish with cooking spray and pour squash casserole mixture into the baking dish. Spread the crushed crackers evenly over the top and drizzle melted butter over the crackers. Bake in a preheated oven for about 30 to 40 minutes, or until top has lightly browned.
Video
Hi, I’m Michele Feuerborn, a home cook with 25+ years experience, and former AllRecipes Allstar, creating bold & easy Southern, Mexican, Tex-Mex, and Instant Pot recipes. Featured in publications like Parade and BuzzFeed. Read More…
Amy Redding says
I didn’t have an sour cream and didn’t want to go to the store. I used some milk, mayonnaise and a bit of lemon juice as a substitute. It was fantastic!
Michele says
Great substitute. Thanks for letting me know. I’m glad you liked it.
CIndy Labbie says
I made two casseroles.
Can I freeze one ?
If so, before I bake it, or after ?
Michele says
Hi Cindy,
Congrats for making 2 casseroles. Yes, you can freeze one of the casseroles after you bake it.
Michele
Amalia says
This came out sooo good. The key is definitely good quality cheese (I used Cabot Seriously Sharp) and did add a little Dukes to the sour cream. Yum!
Michele says
Hi Amalia,
I’m so glad you liked it. I agree using a good quality cheese makes a world of difference. Thanks for the nice comment.
Michele
Julie says
Can you make this with a combination of yellow squash and zucchini? Do you think that would turn out just as good? I’m mostly trying to keep a little more green on my thanksgiving menu, but I’m really in the mood for a casserole and this one sounds delicious.
Michele says
Hi Julie,
Yes, I think that that having a combination of squash and zucchini would be delicious. Let me know how it turns out.
Michele
ashlee says
thats how i have always made mine with squash and zucchini my kids love it oo there is never any left overs
Michele says
Hi Ashlee,
Thanks for sharing your experience. I’m glad you and the kids love it!
Thanks,
Michele
Peggy says
Great recipe! I have made this several times. Always a winner.
The only thing I do different is fry bacon in the pot, pour some of the bacon grease in the casserole dish already rubbed with butter. Then sauté the onions & squash in the pot. I add real bacon bits to the squash & onion mixture. Gives it a very rich flavor.
Michele says
Hi Peggy,
I’m so glad you like the recipe. The addition of bacon sounds delicious. Great idea.
Thanks,
Michele
Lisa says
How much is 5 squash??
Michele says
Hi Lisa,
Thanks for your question. 5 medium yellow summer squash, when sliced, yields approximately 3.5 – 4 pounds or 7-1/2 cups of sliced yellow squash.
Thanks,
Michele
Kathy says
If I make it two days ahead of time, should I bake it, cool, and put in fridge or wait to bake it on the day I plan to serve it?
Michele says
Hi Kathy,
To make it ahead of time, assemble it, except for the Ritz cracker topping. Cover and refrigerate until about 30 minutes before you bake it. Add the crushed crackers and then bake as instructed above.
Thanks,
Michele
Sandy says
I am so glad I found you on Pinterest!! With Covid this year, our plans had changed. We had Thanksgiving here and usually my sister in law makes a squash dish and I didn’t want to miss out. This recipe is fantastic!! I didn’t change a thing!! Delicious! This is the second recipe of yours that I made for Thanksgiving! I’m a fan and will now keep following you. Thank you so much for sharing!
Michele says
Hi Sandy,
I’m glad you were able to continue your family tradition of having squash for Thanksgiving. Honestly, the reason I first started my blog in the first place was because we had lost the oldest generation of our family and we lost their holiday recipes along with them. So, this blog was a way to share our family recipes with family members across the country. Now we share them with lots of families. I’m so happy they are now your family recipes too.
Happy Thanksgiving,
Michele
Anna says
This really was my favorite version of this dish so far! Our daughter (13) made this as a side dish for dinner and it turned out flawless! We didn’t have enough sour cream, so we used what we had and used some plain Greek yogurt to make up the difference. It turned out great anyway! Thank you so much for a great recipe!!!
Michele says
Hi Anna,
I’m so glad that you liked it.
Michele
Susan says
How many cups of squash does this use?
Michele says
If 1 whole yellow squash that is sliced equals about 1-1/2 cups, and this recipe uses 5 whole squash, then that is about 7-1/2 cups of sliced squash.
Brittani says
Hi! Someone in my family has an egg allergy. Do you think completely omitting the egg in this recipe would ruin the texture or maybe an egg replacement could work?
Michele says
Hi Brittani,
I have not tried it without an egg or with an egg replacement. I recommend checking with your family member, and/or dietitian for the best substitute for the egg that won’t trigger your family member’s allergies.
Thanks,
Michele
Katrina says
I didn’t have any cheddar or pepper jack so I subbed “Fiesta blend” and added 1/4 tsp oregano…the flavors were fantastic!
Susanne says
This was great! I eat keto and the rest of my family doesn’t. I left off the crackers and this was a keto friendly side that everyone loved. My husband is from Alabama and his grandma made a squash casserole every Sunday and he enjoyed this! I need to remember to include this in my holiday casserole lineup 🙂
Michele says
Hi Susanne,
Thanks for the kind words, and the recommendation on how to make it keto. I’m sure many people will be making it that way.
Thanks,
Michele
Debbie Manus says
Awesome Recipe Thank You For the Share
Michele says
Hi Debbie,
Thanks for the kind words and nice comment.
Michele
Kaylyn says
Hi,
If I use canned squash how many cans do you think I will need?!
Michele says
Hi Kaylyn,
I have not tried it with canned summer squash, but it looks like you would need about 4 cans.
Thanks,
Michele
Ruth says
Made this several times. Have been asked to share the recipe too. Works well with fresh and frozen squash.
Michele says
Hi Ruth,
Thanks so much for the nice comment.
Michele
John lowry says
This came out almost perfect ! As you said recipes were lost when elders passed awY . And what I meant by almost is it was almost better than what my grandmother was known for
Michele says
Hi John,
I’m so glad you enjoyed it and that it was almost better than Grandma’s. But with the memories of time spent with grandparents during dinners that our Grandma made, is there really anything better than that?
Thank you,
Michele