This squash casserole with water chestnuts is based on one of my mother-in-law's many casseroles. Casseroles are easy make-ahead meals you can pop in the oven when you get home from work. Working moms in the 1950s and 1960s served casseroles several times a week. Add a side salad and you have dinner.
Squash Casserole with Water Chestnuts
My MIL had a "Casseroles" book. It has three different recipes simply labeled "Squash Casserole." She saved handwritten recipes for a variety of make-ahead casseroles in this book. Each Squash Casserole contains summer squash (yellow crookneck or zucchini squash), along with different combinations of cheese and vegetables. Squash is available at the grocery store year round and this casserole is great for holiday parties.
Recipe Development
To make this dish, I took one of the basic casserole recipes and added sliced water chestnuts and diced bell pepper (red is best, but any will do). It is easy to make and very scrumptious. Not only that, it freezes well.
When I analyzed the nutrition, I found it a little heavy on the fat, so I cut it in half (can you believe it originally had four tablespoons of butter?) and reduced the amount of mayonnaise the original version called for. I left the cheese at the full amount (1 cup), but if you cut it to ½ cup, you would cut 40 calories and 3 g of fat, so that might be worth trying. Doing that, however, also cuts the protein from 9 g to 6 g per serving.
Goat Cheese Vs. Cow's Cheese
I used Pecorino Romano cheese in place of Parmesan. It is a hard goat's cheese, with a stronger flavor than Parmesan. The recipe calls for butter, but it tastes just as good with olive oil, so substitute oil if you can't eat butter.
What You Need
You will need a sauté pan, knife, cutting board, measuring cups and spoons, and a casserole dish. I prefer Pecorino Romano Cheese. Try it!
Squash Casserole with Water Chestnuts and Bell Peppers Recipe
Author: Recipe Idea Shop
Ingredients
- 3 small yellow squash cut in ⅛-inch rounds
- ½ yellow onion chopped
- 1 medium red pepper chopped
- 2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
- 1 egg beaten
- 1 cup shredded Pecorino Romano Cheese or Parmesan or Cheddar
- 1 8- ounce can of sliced water chestnuts drained
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium high heat.
- When the oil is hot, add the squash and sauté for a few minutes until it starts to soften.
- Add the onions and peppers and stir to combine.
- Cook for a few minutes longer until the onions become transparent.
- Dump this mixture into a greased casserole dish.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs.
- Add the mayonnaise, sugar, and pepper and whisk to combine.
- Add the cheese and stir to combine.
- Pour the cheese mixture over the squash mixture and stir gently to combine.
- Bake in a 350F degree oven for about 30 minutes until a knife inserted comes out clean and the casserole is bubbly and starting to brown.
- Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Nutrition (may vary depending on ingredients and amounts used)
