Re-inventing Squash Casserole

I love squash casserole.  It's a yummy way to eat squash, and it's also a good way to use a surplus of squash.  Actually, it's the main reason I planted yellow crookneck squash this summer - except the seeds didn't produce yellow crookneck's, I got green zucchini.  Still, it's been good sweet zucchini, so I decided to just use it in the squash casserole recipe.


The problem with the squash casserole recipe......it contains a stick of butter. No wonder it's good! And a can of cream of chicken soup - which contains 2175 mg of sodium!  So here are the original two recipes - I'm inclined to use the one on top, but in terms of fat and sodium, they are equally bad.  (From the Grace Chapel U.M.C. Cook Book, 1991 edition.)

So, working from the recipe on top, here is what I changed.  I used 1 Tablespoon butter instead of an entire stick, and 1 cup Fat Free 33% less sodium Swanson's chicken broth, and Tillamook Fat Free Sour Cream.   To give credit where due - I've been reading Cooking Light for years, and that magazine regularly lightens up traditional recipes.  One thing I've learned - you can usually cut out a LOT of butter, especially in savory dishes.  (This wouldn't apply so easily to something like a cake.)  Also, I've learned from my own experimenting that Chicken Broth instead of condensed soup of any kind will work.  If you think the soup is needed for thickening, there are lots of work-around's for that - mainly, use less broth than condensed soup, or add a little corn starch.   

I've noticed that sour cream labeled "Low Fat" isn't very low fat.  But you can get totally Fat Free Sour Cream.  It's one of those products that I consider a blessing.  I love sour cream, and in my opinion the Fat Free version has the same taste and texture as regular sour cream - at least that's true of the Tillamook brand.  

Now let's get on with the cooking!  All of the vegetables came from my garden.   I didn't think to take pictures until after I'd already started cutting, but here are the basics.

The yellow chopped item next to the orange carrot is actually a yellow carrot.  I planted Carnival Mix carrots, and they are many different colors of yellow, orange, and red.  My scallions have gotten too big, but so far they make good cooking onions.   My zucchini's in this case were fairly small.  

I sliced the onion and sautéed it in 1 Tablespoon butter.  (You could easily use olive oil or canola oil and eliminate the butter completely.)  Then I added the chopped zucchini and carrots, and sautéed until they were beginning to brown lightly.   Add a little salt, pepper and other seasoning if desired.

 

Next, I added 1/2 cup water to this pan, covered it and let it simmer.  I ended up adding another 1/2 cup in order to cook the squash and carrots the way I wanted them.  Remove from heat.  You should drain any remaining water.  

While still warm, stir in sour cream and 1 cup broth.   Add grated cheddar cheese and 1 cup croûtons or bread crumbs.   Pour into a casserole dish that has been coated with cooking spray, top with bread crumbs or croûtons.   Bake 20-30 minutes, or until bubbly, at 350 degrees.  

Here it is after I baked it.

And on the plate with some grilled chicken:

As you can see, it's thick enough not to run on the plate.  It got a thumb's up from everybody.  (Well, Liam liked it but somehow managed not to eat any of the vegetables.)  

What I would do different - the original recipe called for bread crumbs, NOT croûtons, and in the future I will take the time to crush the croûtons into crumbs.   Whole grain breadcrumbs would be even better.  

Other options - use low fat or fat free cheese.  Use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth to make it totally vegetarian.  

Here is the recipe as I made it:

2 cups sliced squash or zucchini

1 small-medium onion, sliced and chopped as desired

2 large carrots, chopped

1 Tablespoon butter (substitute olive oil or canola oil if desired)

salt, pepper or other seasoning to taste

1/2 cup to 1 cup water

8 oz Fat Free Sour Cream

1 cup grated cheddar cheese 

1 cup bread crumbs

1/4 cup bread crumbs (topping)

Sauté onion in 1 Tablespoon butter.  Add the chopped zucchini and carrots, and sauté until they begin to brown lightly.   Add a little salt, pepper and other seasoning to taste.  Next, add 1/2 cup water to the pan, cover it and let it simmer.  Add more water if necessary in order to cook the squash and carrots as desired.  Remove from heat.  You should drain any remaining water, if necessary. 

While still warm, stir in sour cream and 1 cup broth.   Add grated cheddar cheese and 1 cup croûtons or bread crumbs.   Pour into a casserole dish that has been coated with cooking spray, top with bread crumbs or croûtons.   Bake 20-30 minutes, or until bubbly, at 350 degrees.