Foodie Fridays: Southwestern Yellow Squash Casserole

Before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, I had not planned to start a vegetable garden this year.  Once it became clear that we would all be spending a lot of time at home, however, I decided to put in a little experimental garden with a variety of vegetables to find out which ones would do well in New Mexico's climate.  It turns out that every one that I tried does well here!  I am spending a lot more time caring for this little garden than I intended because so many more plants survived and thrived than I had planned on.  Due to the dryness of this area and a much hotter than normal summer I must water everything twice a day.

I have also been forced to spend a lot of time cooking just to use up all of the produce I am harvesting right now.  This week I have made a turkey and zucchini meatloaf, yet another batch of stir-fried vegetables, and two different yellow squash casseroles, trying to make a dent in the super abundance of squash sitting on my kitchen counter.  I did manage to use up a good deal, but they are once again accumulating on the counter as more continue to grow!

Today I am posting my recipe for Southwestern Summer Squash Casserole, based loosely on my more traditional recipe for this southern classic dish.  Since this is the peak of Hatch chile season, there are numerous Hatch chile products available in the grocery stores right now.  Our local Albertson's, which has a chili roaster set up in their parking lot, is a particularly good source for these products, and I used both their Hatch chile cheese corn muffins and their Hatch chile queso dip in my casserole.  If you cannot find Hatch chile products, just use whatever versions are available to you.

In this recipe, all amounts are approximate so feel free to increase or decrease any one you like.  Also feel free to add or substitute ingredients - dice a regular onion and roast it with the squash instead of using scallions, crush some tortilla chips for the topping instead of Ritz crackers, use any jarred cheese dip or even sour cream instead of the queso dip, sprinkle some shredded cheese over the cracker crumbs, etc. - I put this casserole together using items I had on hand, so you should do the same!

Southwestern Yellow Squash Casserole

6 small to medium yellow squash, halved lengthwise and sliced
2 T. olive oil
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
3/4 C. sliced scallions
1 container (10 oz.) or jar (15 oz.) white queso dip
2-4 T. diced roasted Hatch chiles (or any green chiles you can find)
2 large corn muffins, coarsely crumbled
3/4 C. crushed Ritz crackers

Place the sliced squash in a large baking pan.  Toss with the oil, salt, and pepper.  Roast at 400 degrees for about 25 minutes, or until very tender.  Remove from the oven and stir in the scallions, queso dip, and chiles until well mixed.

Grease a 9-inch square glass baking dish.  Sprinkle the corn muffin crumbles evenly over the bottom.  Top with the yellow squash mixture.  Scatter the cracker crumbs evenly over the top.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  Remove from the oven and cool slightly before serving.  Serves 6.

Notes: If you cannot get fresh roasted Hatch chiles, try this bottled version of roasted green chiles instead.  I served my casserole atop some diced fresh tomatoes,  but this is also tasty with your favorite salsa spooned on top.