Squash Casserole

In case you’re looking for a really good side dish to add to your holiday meal on Thanksgiving and Christmas or any other time you feel like really splurging, I’m about to give away a recipe I’ve kept secret for a long, long time.  A couple of years ago I was searching for a good squash casserole recipe to no avail.  Most of them were too healthy or too Northern, quite frankly.  So, I decided to make my own which has received high compliments a number of times which I am very grateful for.  Now, this is not a diet, calorie conscious, carb counting recipe.  It is super high in fat and carbs, which are the very details that make it delicious.  So it’s better for special occasions and not an everyday dish.  Anyway, use in moderation, I guess.

 Here’s what you need:

1 butternut squash, roasted or about 2 lbs. of yellow squash, steamed – all the squash should be chopped into little pieces.  I like to roast the butternut squash in the oven with salt and pepper and then when it cools scoop it out of the skin in little bits.

1 batch of your favorite cornbread (If you don’t have a favorite, fake it and use the one on the back of the cornmeal bag or be lazy and used an overpriced mix.  Whatev)

¼ - ½ cup chopped fresh parsley (this is according to taste and not really even necessary, but don’t use dried, you’ll regret it)

½ - 1 whole sweet yellow onion, chopped (you can use green onion too, this is a taste thing)

1 ½ cups cheddar cheese, shredded (If you use the reduced fat cheese I will have to come to your house and berate you.  Who are you kidding?)

1 stick of butter (salted sweet cream works best)

1-8 oz. package of cream cheese (don’t cheat and use the 1/3 less fat, go for gold)

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat your oven to 375 and grease a casserole dish.  In a large mixing bowl crumble up all of your cornbread into fluff and set aside about a third of it in another mixing bowl.  In a large skillet, start to melt half of your stick of butter and then pour in those onions.  Cook them until they’re glassy and then add the cream cheese on low.  Mix the onions, butter and cream cheese together until they all get mushy, warm and soft then dump them in the large bowl of cornbread crumbles.  Add your squash and 1 cup of the cheese as well as your chopped parsley and salt and pepper to this mixture and stir until it is one tasty, beautiful mush of squash deliciousness.  Spread this in your casserole dish.  Melt the other ½ stick of butter and pour into the rest of the cornbread crumbles and stir them up.  On top of the squash mush, sprinkle the rest of your cheese and then top with your buttered cornbread crumbles.  Pop it in the oven until it’s warmed and the cornbread topping is nice and golden brown with just a little crunch.  This will take 30-40 minutes, give or take.  It should bubble a little on the edges and be warm in the middle.

So, there you have it.  Now you know my secrets and I’m useless.  Enjoy!!