Thursday, July 19, 2018

Recipe: Vegan Squash Casserole

Growing up, one of my fondest memories is my granny's squash casserole. Yet I don't really remember it. Does that make sense? Like, I know she used to make squash casserole often when my parents and I would visit for dinner. And I remember loving it. But I can't remember what was in it. I know it was cheesy and perhaps topped with crumbled Ritz crackers, but I couldn't recreate the recipe from memory if I tried. And sadly, Granny most likely wouldn't remember it either. She's forgotten most of her recipes.

But when I got summer squash in my CSA for the third week in a row, I knew I wanted to try something fun with it. I'd already made squash parm, black bean & squash burritos, and grilled squash (on the 4th of July). So I googled a recipe for squash casserole and found many, many variations.


I picked one with low-oil to veganize since I'm trying to stick to a low-oil eating plan at home (all rules are off when eating out or dining at other people's homes). I feel better with less oil, so I'm really trying to eat that way 90% of the time. The recipe I chose probably isn't just like Granny's. For one thing, it called for breadcrumbs instead of crackers, and since I used whole wheat crumbs, I feel better about that. Even though Ritz crackers are vegan (fun fact!).

I will say that this casserole is damn good though. I used Daiya mozzarella for the cheese, rather than cheddar, simply because that's what I had at home. But cheddar would be prettier in this! Maybe it's just me, but both Daiya cheddar and mozz taste pretty much the same.


Without further ado, here's a veganized version of Squash Casserole. Btw, you'll see there is a little Earth Balance in the cheesy roux (but just one tablespoon for the whole recipe!).

Vegan Squash Casserole
Yields 4 servings

2 pounds yellow squash, sliced
1/2 large onion, chopped
1 tablespoon Earth Balance
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup almond milk
3/4 cup shredded vegan cheese (I used Daiya mozz)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Cooking spray
1/2 cup whole wheat breadcrumbs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Cook squash and onion in a small amount of boiling water for about 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Drain and set aside.

Melt Earth Balance in a medium, heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add flour; cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Gradually add milk; cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is thickened and bubbly. Remove from heat; add cheese, salt, and pepper, stirring until cheese melts. Add squash mixture; stir well.

Spoon squash mixture into a shallow 1 1/2-quart baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle squash mixture evenly with breadcrumbs. Bake at 350° for 20 to 25 minutes or until mixture is thoroughly heated.

8 comments:

Hillary said...

I've never heard of squash casserole till your blog, but it looks like a tasty way to eat squash!
I so agree with you about the daiya shreds, I've always thought the mozz and cheddar taste identical, it's really just about what color you want in your dish!

Cadry said...

That's interesting to know about the Daiya mozzarella and cheddar tasting the same. Have you tried their new shreds? Lots of people were excited about them, but I don't see any difference at all to their old version. I only tried the cheddar, and I'd wondered if the mozzarella might be better. But after hearing your thoughts on it, I'm not holding out a lot of hope!

vegan1 said...

I agree that both Daiya's taste the same!

Unknown said...

I’ve actually never had squash casserole, i think it’s a lot more popular in the south than elsewhere, but i *know* i would be very into this! Unfortunately my crappy rental oven does an impressive job of heating my apartment so i’ve bookmarked this for fall.
Surprised you haven’t made zoodles with the squash, they make a nice salad base-i don’t like them cooked at all
Ttrockwood

Sarah said...

How funny that you posted this recipe! I JUST saw squash casserole for the first time on Pinterest within the last week and thought it looked good but obviously not vegan. I'm so excited to try this, thanks for posting the recipe! It looks amazing!

Unknown said...

You just made my day 🙂 Thank you !
Misrii

Tamara said...

This was so good! I used zucchini and prepared in the air fryer. Thanks for the recipe!

PaganAngel said...

This is another squash casserole that probably isn't your grandmother's, but I love it and it's fairly low in oil (which you could further reduce, if desired). I make it whenever my CSA delivers a squash/potato combo. It's Smitten Kitchen's Herbed Summer Squash and Potato Torte: https://smittenkitchen.com/2008/07/herbed-summer-squash-and-potato-torte/