Cheesy Southwestern Squash Casserole
With all those southwestern flavors we know and love!
Summer squash used to be one of those vegetables (we know, technically a fruit) that we looked at and only saw a couple uses for: steaming alone or throwing into a veggie sauté…but not anymore. Why should ground beef or potatoes steal the limelight when it comes to casseroles? Squash is just as delicious, when you’ve got the right ingredients and flavors, so we decided to put it to the test and come up with a dish where summer squash is the main event. This dish proves that summer squash more than holds its own in casserole form, especially when accompanied by onion, chiles, salsa and plenty of cheese. Mmmm!
Squash has a lovely, mild flavor when served by itself, which means it easily takes on other flavors – perfect considering all the flavorful ingredients we threw into this recipe! The end result is a hearty, veggie-packed dinner that everyone will love – even the kids! (And they won’t even notice how many vegetables they’re gobbling down!) It’s a great way to put fresh summer produce to good use – we can tell you it’s been in heavy rotation at our house, and it’ll probably be the same way at yours too!
Southwestern Squash Casserole
Ingredients
- 3 medium yellow squash, sliced
- 3 medium zucchini, sliced
- 1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated
- 1 cup Mexican blend cheese, grated
- 1 cup yellow onion, chopped
- 3/4 cup preferred salsa
- 1 (4 oz.) can chopped green chiles
- 1 (4 oz.) diced jalapeños, drained
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne, optional
- 1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped, optional
- freshly sliced green onions, chopped, optional
- kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 400º F and use non-stick spray to lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.
- Mix together squash, zucchini, Mexican blend cheese, onion, green chiles and jalapeños.
- Sprinkle flour over mixture, then season with salt, pepper, cumin and cayenne, and stir everything until incorporated.
- Transfer mixture to baking dish and bake for 35 minutes, or until veggies have softened.
- Remove from oven and evenly spread salsa over the top before sprinkling cheddar cheese on top.
- Return to oven and bake for another 12-15 minutes, or until cheese has melted.
- Remove from oven and top with green and red onion, if desired. Serve hot.
Recipe adapted from Plain Chicken