Squash Casserole with Homemade GF Cornbread Topping

Living in Wisconsin, we don’t readily associate squash casserole with the zucchinis and yellow summer squashes that proliferate with abandon in our late summer gardens as folks do in the South. I tasted some amazing squash casserole a number of years ago when I was in Atlanta with the Country Living Fair and have thought about it ever since. Drooling, because that casserole was that good. I am a pretty adventurous cook, but whenever I have mentioned making squash casserole in the past my family would make weird faces and funny noises and I would desist. Earlier this week I gathered some summer squashes and announced that the casserole was finally going to happen - just giving fair warning - and I could almost hear the eye rolls. 

So I baked some lovely, crispy-topped GF cornbread muffins, sliced up the squashes, onions, and garlic scapes, and found some roasted red peppers in the freezer to use up. Once there was an eggy, creamy sauce swirled through and crumbled muffins on top, I started to hear how wonderful the kitchen smelled and how pretty the casserole looked. It hadn’t even baked yet! It's a fabulous accompaniment to any summer meal, and is also great on its own with a salad. 

6-8 cups very thinly sliced yellow or green summer squashes (zucchini)

1 small red pepper or ¼ cup roasted red pepper, chopped in small pieces

Toss in a little green pepper too, if you have it. Chop it into small pieces.

3 cloves garlic, chopped finely, or 4-5 garlic scapes from the garden chopped finely.

1T oil

8 ounces cheddar cheese (or use mozzarella, if that’s all you have!), grated

1 cup mayonnaise

1 egg

½ cup heavy cream (can substitute ½ cup half & half + 4T. butter)

Salt and pepper to taste.

1. Prep: make the muffins ahead of time, chop the vegetables and place in a large mixing bowl, grate the cheese, preheat the oven, grease the casserole dish with softened butter.

2. In a large frying pan on the stovetop, heat half the oil and saute half the vegetables together until softened and partially cooked. Place these in the buttered casserole dish and sprinkle with a little salt and pepper and with half of the grated cheese. Saute the remaining vegetables, sprinkling that layer with salt and pepper and cheese after adding to the casserole dish.

3. Pour the heavy cream into a small saucepan or into the frying pan used for the squash and heat until bubbly and slightly thickened. Let cool. (If using the half & half and butter, melt the butter into the half & half and heat until slightly thickened. Cool.)

4. Beat the egg and mix into the mayonnaise in a small bowl. Add the cooled cream and pour over the veggies in the casserole dish. Toss gently with a spoon until the vegetables are coated. Spread evenly in the dish. Top with the crumbled muffin bits.

5. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes or until brown and bubbly. If the topping starts to look dark, cover with foil for the remainder of the baking time.

6. The squash casserole is delicious hot, warmed, at room temperature, and even cold. 

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. 

4. Bake at 425°F for 18-20 minutes or until the edges of the muffins are golden brown.

5. Take from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes, then circle around the muffins with the edge of a knife to loosen. Allow to cool to just warm and enjoy with butter and/or jam. 

Crumble muffins for the Squash Casserole topping as described above.