Savory Oven-Baked Yellow Squash Casserole with Bacon and Herbs

Ingredients

- 4 medium yellow squash, thinly sliced
- 8 slices bacon
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped basil
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon white granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons bacon drippings
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1 cup crushed White Cheddar Cheese-It Cracker crumbs
- 1 cup crushed Ritz crackers
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions

1. Preparation of Ingredients:
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
- In a large skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat until crispy. Remove, drain on a paper towel, crumble, and set aside. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the bacon drippings.

2. Cook the Vegetables:
- In the same skillet with the reserved bacon drippings, add the olive oil and chopped onion. Sauté the onion for about 5 minutes until softened.
- Add the minced garlic and cook for an additional 1 minute until fragrant.
- Stir in the sliced yellow squash, black pepper, salt, dried basil, dried parsley, and sugar. Sauté the mixture for 10 minutes until the squash is tender but not mushy.

3. Assemble the Casserole:
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the sautéed squash mixture with fresh chopped basil and fresh chopped parsley.
- Add the crushed White Cheddar Cheese-It Cracker crumbs and Ritz crackers. Toss everything together gently.

4. Bake Casserole:
- Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish. Spread half of the squash mixture evenly in the dish.
- Sprinkle half of the shredded cheddar cheese over the squash layer.
- Add the remaining squash mixture as a second layer and top it with crumbled bacon and the remaining cheddar cheese.
- Place in the preheated oven and bake for 25 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and the top is golden brown.

5. Serve:
- Remove the casserole from the oven and let it cool slightly before serving.

Preparation & Cooking Times

- Preparation Time: PT20M
20 minutes
- Cooking Time: PT35M
35 minutes
- Total Time: PT55M
55 minutes

Type of Dish

Dinner

Keywords

Yellow squash casserole, Bacon casserole, Baked squash recipe, Herb-infused casserole, Cheddar cheese casserole, Savory squash bake, Dinner casserole, Oven-baked squash, Easy squash dinner, Family dinner idea

Recipe Yield

Feeds 4 adults

Calories

Total Calories: 1,730

#OvenBaked #SquashCasserole #DinnerRecipe #CheddarCheese #BaconFlavor