Yellow Summer Squash Casserole

I love Summer! I also love a certain Summer Squash recipe that reminds me of when I was little and we would all be on Summer Vacay from school (my mother was/is an Elementary School Teacher) which meant we were having all of the meals my mother liked to cook only when she wasn't working, you know, the meals that took longer to make. Remember, my mother worked full time, had 2 daughters & my father was gone out to sea for the Navy 6 months at a time. Anyways, (geez, I really can branch off at time, lol) this recipe is a comfort food for me that brings me back to summer time from my childhood. I just started making it myself & luckily it isn't that difficult or expensive. Best of all, my two princesses absolutely love it.

The name "Summer Squash" refers to the short shelf life of this Yellow Summer Squash, unlike the longer shelf life of the "Winter Squashes"..In case someone doesn't know, I will say, a good yellow summer squash will be small and firm with tender skin free of blemishes and bruising. It is available all year long in some regions, but it is at its peak from early through late summer.

My Mother's Yellow Summer Squash Casserole

5-10 Yellow Summer Squash (more or less depending on the amount you wish to make)

1 Large Onion

2c. Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese (or whichever Cheese you prefer for casseroles)

1tsp. Salt

That's it!

Pre-heat oven to 350°

Slice up your cleaned yellow summer squash into ½" discs. (Obviously throwing out the ends)

Chop up the large onion. 

Add the sliced Yellow Squash & the chopped onion to a pot and cover with water, add a tsp. of salt. Cover. 

Cook for about 10-15 minutes on Medium heat until Yellow Squash & onion are soft/tender. 

Drain well. Do not rinse.

 Place into whatever casserole dish you prefer (I love to use my covered round Pyrex casserole)

We normally shred cheese ourselves, but I had this Kraft shredded cheese on hand due to catching a great sale (plus coupon)....So, grab your cheese now.

Mix about ½ of the amount of cheese throughout the squash/onion mixture, then top the casserole with the remaining cheese, like so: 

Cover & bake at 350° for about 15-20 minutes or until cheese is completely melted. Remember, you aren't using the oven to "cook" since you already boiled the squash & onion until tender. So if your oven seems to cook fast, check at 10 minutes. 

& I'd love to show you the final product of what we made this night, but with two toddlers, by the time everything was complete, trying to serve them quick enough before meltdowns, I forgot to snap a picture :(

We had baked pork-chops with our Summer Squash Casserole...but you can feel free to make anything you want to go with. 

Some fun mix-ins to change it up are:

Spinach

Chives/Green Onions

Bacon

I hope you make this and enjoy it as much as our family does!!

Love & Summer Comfort,