Squash Casserole with Stuffing Mix Recipe - These Old Cookbooks (2024)

FAQs

How do you keep squash casserole from getting watery? ›

Salting and sautéing the squash before baking helps to remove excess moisture and prevents the casserole from becoming watery. Cream cheese and sour cream lend the filling richness and tang.

The binder, a liquid that holds the other ingredients together. – Fat-free milk, broth, fruit juice, soup, eggs, or a thickened Béchamel/White sauce.

The Southern classic combines fresh squash and onion with a creamy sauce and a crunchy cracker-Cheddar cheese topping. Whether you serve this squash casserole as a flavorful side or a veggie-centric main dish, everyone will be begging you to make it again and again for family gatherings, potlucks, and holidays.

Line a dry baking sheet with parchment paper and place the squash cubes or slices on it in a single layer. Freeze for one hour, or until solid. Once the squash has frozen solid, you can slide if off the parchment paper and transfer it to zip-top freezer bags to store for the long haul.

In separate medium size skillet, sauté the sliced onion in butter for 5 minutes. Remove from pan and, using a large bowl, add squash, onions, sour cream, Paula Deen's House Seasoning and sharp cheddar cheese. Pour mixture into a buttered casserole dish and top with cracker crumbs. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes.

To prevent your squash casserole from being too watery, it's important to get as much liquid out of the squash during the initial cooking process as possible. Straining the squash helps to remove excess water that leaches out of the cooked squash, and it cools the squash before it is added to the casserole.

Generally, casseroles with grains, rice or pasta that will cook during the baking process are usually covered, for at least part of the time. Casseroles made of cooked ingredients are usually baked uncovered. If you like a crisper, browner top, be sure the casserole is uncovered for at least part of the bake time.

Mayo Is The Glue That Holds A Casserole Together

It's basically food glue that also provides other added benefits. Think of it as a culinary adhesive that offers more than just stickiness. Additionally, mayonnaise enhances the juiciness of dishes without making them overly moist.

Slices or cubes of cooked summer squash will get quite soft and pack tightly into the jars. The amount of squash filled into a jar will affect the heating pattern within the jar, and may result in inadequate processing and an unsafe product.

What squash is best for baking? ›

Hubbard Squash

Its dry flesh is fine-grained, orange, and sweet, and it's best baked or boiled. The thick skin on a hubbard squash can be extremely hard and difficult to peel; on the plus side, that means it can keep for a very long time (up to eight months), and makes it well suited to stuffing and baking.

Putting it cut-side down creates a sort-of steam chamber for the flesh, helping it cook faster and retain moisture (no dried out squash here!).

Yellow squash or summer squash can be frozen but must be blanched prior to freezing to inactivate naturally occurring enzymes to prevent spoiling while frozen. A quick boil followed by cold water immersion is the concept behind blanching prior to freezing.

The best way I have found to freeze summer squash is to bread it first and lay it out on a baking sheet to freeze before bagging it. I do not blanch my squash and still get a delicious result when frying. I tried freezing it without breading, but it got too soft and watery to bread it after defrosting.

Making sure the pieces are arranged in a single layer (you'll want to be sure to break apart any pieces that are frozen together) and roasting them at a high heat ensures the squash crisps instead of steams.

Make a cornstarch slurry for a fast and easy thickener.

A few minutes before your casserole is done, add it a little at a time until you are happy with the thickness. Then, let the casserole finish baking. You can also substitute chickpea flour for cornstarch. Chickpea flour is an excellent thickener for savory dishes.

To prevent a soupy casserole, be sure to fully thaw any frozen vegetables in a colander over a bowl, and pat dry, squeeze excess moisture out of greens like spinach or chard, and quickly precook watery fresh vegetables like onions, mushrooms or squashes just until they release their moisture.

Assuming that you want to serve the casserole hot and the streusel crispy, keep the casserole and the streusel separate until almost serving time. This means you will have to bake the streusel on a cookie sheet until crisp and ready, then let them cool uncovered and transport them in a separate container.

Pro Tip: Avoid Dry Casserole.

The best way to prevent it from drying out is to add a little bit of water, around ¼ cup, to the top of it. Allow the water to seep between the food and the sides of the baking dish. Cover with aluminum foil to seal in the moisture. What is this?