It’s definitely summer because the squash are coming in season around here. A gracious neighbor dropped off a large bag of yellow squash from his garden so we had to find a delicious way to use it up! No complaints here as we were eager to embrace this challenge. Besides, who doesn’t love summer squash, or any squash for that matter? We know there’s more coming – including some in our garden – so we whipped up this Grilled Squash Casserole to make short work of this unexpected bounty.
We don’t make a lot of casseroles around here. I think many of us get our fill around various holidays to tide us over until the next one. The closest recipes we’ve posted to date are the likes of South African Lamb Bobotie and our Simple Mexican Frittata. Both are wonderful but our Grilled Squash Casserole is going to feel more like those traditional holiday casseroles we’ve all come to know and love. We wanted to differentiate this from the endless amount of squash casseroles you may find in a simple Google search. What did we do? We grilled the veggies first which provides a deeper, richer, savory flavor that only a flame can provide. Buckle up, here comes Grilled Squash Casserole!
Preparation: Grilled Squash Casserole
This recipe has 3 distinct parts that come together just before we pop this guy into the oven: the veggies, the filling, and the topping. We’ll take you through each component and we think you will find this recipe is not only a keeper but it’s not very complicated. First, as always, gather the ingredients and prep out front according to the recipe card.
Grilled Squash Casserole: Grilling the Veggies
The first step after prep is to get the veggies on the grill. We cut the tops off our yellow squash and chop them into bite size pieces and combine with the other veggies into a grill basket. We then halve the bodies of the squash before getting all of it on the grill (Note: for the extra large squash we cut into thirds, try to make them as uniform as possible).
Coat all of the vegetables with an olive oil drizzle, salt, and pepper. Place on the grill with squash halves and grill 10 – 20 minutes (will depend on grill size and space). Flip halfway through and cook until there are grill marks on each side and veggies have softened. Set aside to cool.
Grilled Squash Casserole: Making the Filling
The veggies are going to take more than a few minutes so there’s time to make the other components while the grill does its thing. To make the filling simply combine the ingredients from that section of the recipe card below by folding and/or stirring together in a mixing bowl. Set aside.
Grilled Squash Casserole: Make the Topping
You should have time to also make the topping even if you need to run outside and flip the squash/rotate the veggies in the grill basket. For this recipe we made a simple breadcrumb topping but feel free to take creative liberties here. We’ve used stuffing mix, Corn Flakes, and panko in this type of casserole. Similar to the filling, simply combine the ingredients thoroughly and set aside for assembly.
Grilled Squash Casserole: Assembling the Components
By this time you should be able to pull the veggies off the grill. Allow the squash halves (or thirds) to cool and then chop into bite size pieces similar in size to the veggies in the grill basket. You may end up with some extra but who doesn’t love grilled squash?
Combine the chopped squash with the peppers, onions, and squash pieces from the grill basket. Form a layer on the bottom of your casserole dish. User’s choice on how thick of a layer you want this to be but be sure to leave space for the filling and topping.
With a wooden spoon or rubber spatula layer in the filling. Again, leave some room at the top for the topping.
Top the casserole with an even layer of the breadcrumb (or alternative) topping.
Place into a 350 degree oven for 30 – 35 minutes, or until the topping takes on a golden brown color. Ours took a full 35 minutes but check it sometime in the 25 – 30 minute area and adjust accordingly, if necessary. Remove from the oven and allow to cool several minutes. Then, serve immediately or put the top on the dish and bring to your next holiday party or potluck!
If you liked inspiration for delicious side items, try some of the others found here.
Helpful Items for this Recipe
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- Le Creuset Casserole Dish (the best of the best!)
- Grill Basket
- Grill Tools
- A quality grill: Traditional Propane Option, Griddle Option, Wood Pellet Option
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Grilled Squash Casserole
Equipment
- Casserole Dish
- Mixing Bowl
- Grill and Grill Tongs
- Grill Basket For smaller vegetables
Ingredients
The Veggies
- 1 Sheet Pan Summer Squash (6 – 8 whole squash), halved Can use mixture of yellow and zucchini or either one by itself
- Olive Oil For vegetables
- 1 Red Bell Pepper, chopped Finer chop
- 1 Sweet Onion, chopped Finer chop
- 1 – 2 Carrots, thinly sliced or shredded If using matchstick carrots omit grilling step for this item only.
- Salt and Pepper, to taste
The Filling
- 1 can Cream of Chicken Soup with Herbs, approx. 10.5 oz. Can use plain cream of chicken
- ½ cup Sour Cream
- ½ cup Mayonnaise
- 1 cup Sharp Cheddar, shredded
- ⅓ tsp. Ground Nutmeg
The Topping
- 1 cup Breadcrumbs Can use panko, Corn Flakes, stuffing, or Ritz Crackers
- 1 tbsp. Parmesan Cheese, grated We ended up using Asiago off the block because of what we had available
- 1 tsp. Seasoned Salt Or other desired seasoning for topping mix
- 2 tbsp. Butter, unsalted and melted
Instructions
Grill the Veggies
- Preheat grill on medium heat. For yellow squash, chop the tops up into bite size pieces and add to a vegetable grilling basket with red bell pepper and onion. Coat all vegetables with an olive oil drizzle, salt, and pepper. Place on grill with squash halves and grill 10 – 20 minutes (will depend on grill size and space). Flip halfway through and cook until there are grill marks on each side and veggies have softened. Set aside to cool.
Make the Filling
- While the vegetables are on the grill, make the filling by simply mixing together all of the ingredients in the Filling subheading above. Set aside.
Make the Topping
- While the vegetables are on the grill, make the topping by simply mixing together all of the ingredients in the Topping subheading above. Set aside.
Assemble the Casserole
- When the squash has cooled chop the halves in to bite size pieces (you may have some extra). Mix with the grill basket items and form a layer in the bottom of the casserole dish (can make as deep in dish as desired, just leave room for filling and topping).
- With a wooden spoon or rubber spatula layer in the filling. Again, leave some room at the top for the topping.
- Top the casserole in an even layer.
- Bake casserole at 350°F for 30 – 35 minutes, or until topping is golden brown. Remove from oven, let cool for several minutes and serve.
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