Recipe Box...Squash Casserole

Before I start with the recipe, let me just say that I HATE SQUASH.

Okay, now that I've made that clear, let me go one step further and say, if you hate squash, you will be pleasantly surprised at how good this is!   

But if you like squash, you will LOVE this dish.  

People requested this all. the. time.  So, mom made it for company, for parties and for pot lucks.  

My mom was a great "comfort food" cook and even better baker but she really didn't like anyone in the kitchen with her....well, maybe dad but not the kids.  At least not while we were young.  Mom was a fast mover and we just got in the way. Unless invited to help out or hang out, it was best just to get out of her way.  Daddy used to call her "Hurricane Linda!"

Mom tended to just jot down ingredients with no directions.  After all, it was her recipe.  She knew what she was doing.   The steps are written up by me.
This is what the casserole looks like.  Sorry but someone scooped out servings before I took a photo!!!

Okay, so on to the recipe!  This is super easy and comes together quickly but you will have about 10 minutes of cooling time during this process so plan for it.

Linda's Made Up Squash Casserole (how is that for a fancy name?)

Ingredients:
2-3 quarts yellow squash, washed and chopped into chunks
1 large Vidalia or other sweet onion, chopped
2 fresh banana peppers, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped (any color but green)
1 bunch green onions chopped and reserved.

2 eggs, beaten with 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper
1 can cream of mushroom soup
2 cups shredder cheddar cheese

16 saltine crackers, crushed FINE, tossed with 1-1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese 

To prepare.

Spray a medium sized casserole dish with PAM.  Note* a 9X13 is a little bit too big...
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

Cover and cook the squash, onion, bell pepper and banana peppers over med heat until slightly soft.  Stir it every now and then.  This will take about 10 minutes.  You don't want the squash to get super soft.
Mix the green onions in and then remove from the heat and drain in a colander.  Squash has a lot of moisture and you don't want that in the casserole, mucking it up.

Set the colander aside to continue draining.  You will also need it to cool a bit too so the heat from the mixture doesn't "cook" the eggs.  This takes about 10 minutes.

While the squash cools, mix the seasoned eggs, 2 cups of cheese and soup together.

Once the squash has cooled, press it down one last time to get some moisture out.  Then mix the squash with the soup mixture.

Pour it all into the casserole dish.  Top with the cracker/cheese mixture.   

Bake uncovered about 30 minutes or until the cheese is slightly browned and it is all bubbly.