Mangia Mondays: Squash & Zucchini Casserole

Boy howdy do i have a scrumptious dish to share with y'all today. I was channeling my sweet Nana when i typed that first line :) Today's recipe is in honor of what would've been her 91st Birthday. She was truly the most important woman in my life, next to my Mom, and i miss her dearly. She & my Papa, like most Southerners of their time, lived predominantly off what they grew. They had a lot of land, which meant cows, chickens, pigs and a massive vegetable and herb garden. One of my earliest memories is of being in the kitchen with her and my Mom watching them can vegetables to store for Fall & Winter. I grew up eating what is now known as "Farm to Table" before "Farm to Table" was chic. It was wonderful!

So it's no wonder that i love gardening too. I'd grown tomatoes & herbs for years on my own, but once Jeff & I got married and bought a house we had room for a real vegetable & herb garden. In typical Ally fashion, my vision was much bigger than our needs though. Consequently we've got enough tomatoes, pole beans, squash, zucchini, cucumbers, and basil to feed us 'til kingdom come. In the meantime, we're thanking the good Lord for our bounty & enjoying the harvest on our table every day. Which brings me to this week's recipe, Squash & Zucchini Casserole. This one is similar to my Nana's old recipe, just kicked up a notch with the added goodnesses of cheese, sour cream and butter. In a word: Divine!

Ingredients:

• 7 cups chopped yellow squash & zucchini
• 1 large vidalia onion, diced
• 4 TB butter
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 1 1/2 cup grated sharp cheddar 
• 1 cup Ritz crackers, crushed
• salt & pepper to taste
• fresh parsley & oregano, chopped, to taste

Directions:

1. Saute your squash & zucchini in a little EVOO or veg oil over med heat until cooked, approx 15-20 minutes. Drain and set aside.
2. Saute the onion in butter over med heat for approx 5-8 minutes until they appear almost translucent. 
3. In a large bowl stir together your sauteed onions, squash & zucchini. Then add the sour cream, cheddar, salt & pepper and herbs. Stir together until blended evenly.
4. Pour mixture into a buttered (i use Pam spray) casserole dish and top with the crumbled Ritz crackers.
5. Bake @ 350 degrees for 30 minutes until golden & bubbly.

*Note: you do not want to use spaghetti squash in this dish. Also, i divide this recipe into smaller casserole dishes so that i can serve one and freeze the other. If you choose to freeze half of the recipe, don't add the cracker crumb topping until completely thawed & ready to pop into the oven.

You don't have to grow your own veggies to enjoy this recipe. Just pick up some produce at the market and give it a try! You also don't have to use both squash & zucchini. Before my second crop of zucchini came in, i made this several times with only squash. Just use what you've got & what you like. It's still divine either way, trust me. If you're making dishes with your fresh veggies share 'em in the comments. I'm always looking for more ways to eat up our bumper crop haha. I hope you enjoy this dish as much as we do and Mangia Mangia y'all!!