Yellow Squash Casserole—Good Eats at the TEOTWAWKI Café

Squash are one of the most important vegetables to grow when things go south.  Perhaps not as important as potatoes or tomatoes, at least in this house, but they’re up there.  Probably because they’re generally easy to grow and they can be used in so many ways.  I love them because they can substitute for pasta or potatoes in many dishes while at the same time containing fewer calories.  The sad thing is, of course, most of us can’t grow summer squash year-round.  And mine is just about coming to an end here.

But not before I had the opportunity to try this recipe.  And now, I believe I will need to plant another yellow squash or two for next year. 

The original recipe came from our local Everything Elko magazine (you can read it online for free, if you so desire) which copied it from some website.  Which is not important, because I altered the recipe to be food-storage friendly.  And I improved it.  The original direction may not have had some confusing parts, but the magazine reprint sure did.

Yellow Squash Casserole

4 medium yellow squash, sliced into ¼” rounds

1 medium onion, chopped

½ cup refined coconut oil, divided

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

1 cup Magic Mix

1 cup water

1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules

1 cup sour cream

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided

1 cup bread crumbs

In a large cast iron skillet over medium heat, melt ¼ cup coconut oil.  Add the squash and onion.  Season with salt and pepper.  Stirring occasionally, cook until tender, about 10 minutes.  Remove from heat.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the Magic Mix, water, and bouillon, stirring frequently until thickened.  Remove from heat and stir in the sour cream and cheese.  Mix until smooth.  Pour over the squash.  Sprinkle shredded cheese on top.

Melt the remaining coconut oil and stir in the bread crumbs. Sprinkle the bread crumbs over the squash.  Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the top is golden brown.

Family reviews:  To be honest, Aaron and I were both a bit cautious and thus served ourselves small portions.  Our fears were totally unfounded.  And we went back for substantial seconds.  This is true comfort food.

Chef’s review:  Naturally, the original recipe called for butter.  In my humble opinion, any butter we have must be saved for those recipes where it is truly needed.  This isn’t one of them.  Coconut oil worked flawlessly, except for needing a little additional salt.  The original recipe also called for a can of cream of chicken soup.  Magic Mix and chicken bouillon are much more economical, though they do lack those mystery ingredients that some find so appealing.  And the original recipe also called for Ritz crackers.  Those are too expensive and bread crumbs work just as well.