Remember when it used to be hell on earth to get a recipe out of someone? Everyone’s recipe was a “secret” and there was no way they could give it to you without some family member rolling in their grave. The first time I had summer squash was at an office potluck and it was served with a ton of onions and swimming in butter. Sooo good! The woman who brought it refused to say exactly how she made it. Thanks to the internet I later learned the “secret family recipe” was a totally standard recipe for yellow squash and made all over Florida. (Squash + Onion + Butter + Water = Boom. Good grief lady, THAT is what you were trying to keep under wraps?!) Since I learned the recipe, I’ve made it hundreds of times and I always clean my plate. I was not even tempted to try it another way until I came across Gourmet Girl’s Yellow Cheddar Squash Casserole the other day and it’s the perfect twist.
The squash is sautéed and then baked in a cheesy sauce and topped with an almond flour crumble. Once it has cooled a bit, you can slice it up and serve it with whatever protein you have on hand or even just a big salad. It keeps for a long time in the fridge or freezer so it’s perfect to bake at the beginning of the week and then slice up throughout the week as needed for a side dish. I’ve adapted her incredible recipe to suit my tastes. Okay. Here we go:
- 5 yellow squash
- 1/2 white onion
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 stick of butter, room temperature
- 1 cup of almond flour
- 1 tsp paprika (optional)
- Salt and Pepper
Preheat your oven to 350.
Slice your squash and onion and set out your thyme.
Add the squash, onion, and thyme to a skillet with a little olive oil and salt and pepper. You do not need to remove the thyme leaves from the stem.
Cover and sauté on medium heat for approximately 15 minutes, until the onion is translucent and the squash is tender, stirring frequently.
Remove the thyme stems from the skillet and drain off any water or oil still in the pan.
In a small bowl, add almond flour and softened butter…
combine with a fork or your hands until it turns into a paste.
In a large bowl, combine cooked squash and onion mixture, cheddar cheese, mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, heavy whipping cream, egg, garlic powder, onion powder, and cayenne pepper. Stir well to combine.
Pour into a baking dish.
Top with dollops of the almond paste and a sprinkle of paprika.
Bake for approximately 40 minutes, until the top is golden brown and bubbly.
Let it cool and then slice and serve.
I like to serve my casserole with baked BBQ chicken tenderloins.
- 5 yellow squash
- ½ white onion
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 stick of butter, room temperature
- 1 cup of almond flour
- 1 tsp paprika (optional)
- Salt and Pepper
- Preheat your oven to 350.
- Slice your squash and onion and set out your thyme.
- Add the squash, onion, and thyme to a skillet with a little olive oil and salt and pepper. You do not need to remove the thyme leaves from the stem.
- Cover and sauté on medium heat for approximately 15 minutes, until the onion is translucent and the squash is tender, stirring frequently.
- Remove the thyme stems from the skillet and drain off any water or oil still in the pan.
- In a small bowl, combine almond flour and softened butter with a fork or your hands until it turns into a paste.
- In a large bowl, combine cooked squash and onion mixture, cheddar cheese, mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, heavy whipping cream, egg, garlic powder, onion powder, and cayenne pepper. Stir well to combine.
- Pour into a baking dish.
- Top with dollops of the almond paste and a sprinkle of paprika.
- Bake for approximately 40 minutes, until the top is golden brown and bubbly.
- Let it cool and then slice and serve.
Haha I totally laughed at the comment about the secret family recipe from your co-worker. Some people are stingy with their recipes! I totally understand if it really is a secret recipe, but if it’s something you pulled out of Taste of Home a few years back, then secret it is not. Anyway, this looks totally amazing. I am definitely making this ASAP. I love the idea of almond flour and butter to make the topping – never would have thought of that!
Yay!! Thanks! Gwyneth Paltrow did that in one of her books. She was talking about some amazing pasta recipe she had at a neighbor’s house that was the most delicious thing ever and then said she couldn’t give us the recipe, so here is a different one instead. Wut? In a cookbook?? The entire purpose of which is to divulge recipes??!? If you can’t give out the recipe, dont mention it in your cookbook love. lol
This is an excellent recipe. I made it replacing the parmesan cheese and cream with a small block of cream cheese. My wife loves it too.
Thank you so much, Maurice! That sounds like a wonderful swap. I will definitely try it! 😀
My older sister has a fudge recipe from her grandmother that our dad’s been begging for for years. She refuses to give it up, but I bet anything it’s the easy recipe off the back of the evaporated milk can! I think it’s silly to hoard recipes–To me, food is meant to be shared, and if someone wants the recipe, I’m happy to give it to them. Not to mention, I’d be a pretty crappy food blogger if I didn’t share recipes! 😀 That being said, I’m glad you shared this one because I’m always looking for different things to do with summer squash, and this looks great!
Ha ha ha!!!! I fully believe in sharing the wealth of food/recipe knowledge. I guess it is more important to me that people make good food than it is for me to seem like some sort of cooking wizard. And I’m so happy you share your wonderful recipes with the rest of us! 🙂
Are the yellow squash yellow zucchini? Or courgettes?
Hi Lindsay! I had to look that up. Yes, when I look up pictures of yellow courgettes, that is exactly what I am talking about.
Absolutely loved this recipe! My 16 year old I’m-not-eating-vegetables son even asked for a second helping! Thank you for sharing!
Woo hoo, Sherry!! I have a vegetable-avoider at home as well so I know what a win it can feel like! 😀
Tekesha, I’m so glad I found your site! I’m intrigued by the idea of almond flour but have never tried it. Does it give foods a strong, nutty flavor?
Yay! So glad to find you too! The nutty flavor isn’t that noticeable to me, particularly in this recipe and others where it is just a topping or it’s mixed with strong flavors like cheddar cheese. There are a couple of cheesecake recipes that use just almond flour and melted butter as a crispy base, and then it tastes like a cookie with nuts. I can also pick up the nutty taste when it is used as a binder, like for meatballs and meatloaf, because it can easily easily absorb weaker flavors and make the texture of things a bit drier than you’d expect. Get a bag an experiment. Or you can make your own just by pulsing almonds in the food processor until they are in a fine dust. If you keep your food processor running for a few more minutes, you will end up with almond paste, which is also delicious, lol 🙂
Very helpful! Thank you! I have a bag of almonds calling my name… 🙂
Haha, I always find it entertaining when someone refuses to give you a recipe. It makes people feel special 🙂 The almond flour crumble sounds really interesting, thanks for sharing!
Ha ha ha! My pleasure! 🙂
Can’t wait to try this recipe. Since we are eating Keto now I look for as many new recipes as I can. This one surely fits the boll. Thanks!
Hope you enjoy it, Andra! 🙂
This recipe has become a Thanksgiving tradition! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you so much, Grace!!! I’m so happy you enjoy it! 😀