Casseroles are a big deal in the South and I have tried my fair share of Squash Casseroles, especially during the holidays. Unfortunately, some of them can be watery or flavorless and I have never been a fan. Until now. This Summer Squash Souffle Casserole from Southern Cooking for Company is moist, creamy, rich, and delicious with a buttery crunchy topping. Serve it for your next potluck or holiday dinner and you’ll be a fan just like me!

Enter to win a copy of this new cookbook on the blog here. 

I have featured five delicious Southern recipes from this book on the blog this week! 

The recipe calls for one medium chopped onion.

 I like to use sweet Vidalia onions, just a half, because they are huge! 

Wash and slice 2 lbs of crooked neck yellow squash. 

Combine the squash, onion, and salt in a large saucepan.

Cover with water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer

 until the vegetables are tender, 15 to 20 minutes.

Drain and place in a large bowl.

Mash the squash mixture.

Stir in the milk, eggs, melted butter, flour, cheese, 

and thyme and add salt and pepper to taste.

Everything’s better with cheese!

The recipe calls for fresh thyme. You can substitute dried like me but use 1/2

 of the amount since it is much stronger. 

Also don’t forget to add salt and cracked black pepper.

Grease a baking dish and spoon mixutre into dish. 

Bake for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Melt the butter in a small skillet over medium-low heat.

When the butter is foamy, stir in the breadcrumbs.

Cook, stirring, until the crumbs are evenly crisp and golden brown. 

Top with buttered breadcrumbs.

Bake for another 10 minutes longer, until browned.

 We served our Squash Casserole a few nights in a row. It went great with Peanut Butter Ham

 (a Paula Deen recipe) and Broccoli Cornbread. 

I have always been a fan of pies, my favorite is still my Southern Pecan Pie, but I love to try new flavors! When my husband took me to his home state of Montana this past summer I tried Huckleberry and Bumbleberry, which were both sweet and delicious. During Fall I love traditional flavors like pumpkin and sweet potato but when I cam across this recipe for Butternut Squash Pie in Gooseberry Patch’s Hometown Harvest cookbook, I knew I had to try it!
It holds together well, has a nice texture and hint of spice and is similar to a pumpkin pie. Try this recipe for your next family dinner, or even Thanksgiving dinner!
Remember you can enter to win the Hometown Harvest cookbook below!

Cut the squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Place on a baking sheet with 1-2 tbsp butter in each half. Optional- the recipe says to cover in aluminum foil. I chose not too, as I have always roasted this way instead. Bake at 375 for about an hour or until cooked through and fork tender.

Remove the squash from oven and let cool. Optional: turn on their side and let an liquid drain.

Then using a spoon remove squash pulp and place in a bowl.

Mash gently and throw away skins. 

I ended up only needing half of the squash for the pie. The other half I used for another recipe.

 

Make a double boiler using a saucepan filled 1/3 of the way with water and a smaller metal bowl or saucepan on top. Bring water to a simmer.

Mix in squash and evaporated milk to the double boiler and let heat over low, stirring and breaking apart any chunks.

In a separate bowl, mix sugar, flour, spices, and salt; add eggs.

Whisk well.

Slowly add mixture to squash mix in the double boiler.

Stir continuously and warm through but make sure not to boil or scald.

You can either make your own pie dough (here’s my recipe here) or use a premade pie dough as pictured above or like the recipe says use a premade pie shell. I like to use my own 9 inch pie plate so I used this pie crust and crimped the edges.

Pour filling into unbaked pie crust. Bake pie at 400 degrees for 10 minutes.

Optional decoration: use a cookie cutter or pie stamp (I bought my set at William Sonoma) make designs like flowers or leaves. I used the extra pie dough that I removed from the crust when crimping the edges and rolled it out. It was enough for me to make 11 flowers! Bake these for 10-15 minutes once you turn the heat down to 350 degrees for the pie.

Turn heat down to 350 degrees, add optional pie decoration shapes to pan and bake for another 15 minutes or so.

You can serve the pie with a dollop of freshly made Whipped Cream.

I love how my pie crust flowers turned out!

Serve warm or at room temperature with whipped cream.

Now doesn’t that look tasty? Try a slice today!

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