Sunday's Chicken and Yellow Cheddar Squash Casserole

This evening I put together a super quick dinner after getting a call from one of my sons letting me know he was coming for dinner and it needed to be early (6:30) since he had to get home by a certain time.  I hadn't even done all my grocery shopping yet!  Then, son #2 calls and tells me that HE is coming for dinner and won't get there until 7:00.  What's a mother to do???  LOL  So, I sent hubby out to the store on the corner to get some yellow squash to make my Yellow Cheddar Squash Casserole; and he dropped it off so he could go back out to pick up a rotisserie chicken and a few other groceries while I got started on the casserole!  I made my Yellow Cheddar Squash Casserole, which is the grain free version of the one I made for many, many years that used Ritz crackers.  Each time I make it, I tweak it ever-so-slightly to see if I can improve it.  Rather than send you a link to the original recipe I have posted before, I am going to re-post the recipe below with the minor tweaks I've made to make it better. I've also snapped a few photos for you to see below.  Enjoy!

Before the topping has been added...

Topping has been added... 

Close-up view of the topping...I scattered a little extra cheese on top of the crumbly topping...

Fresh out of the oven...

Here's another peek...

BOOM!

Yellow Cheddar Squash Casserole

Ingredients:

6 cups yellow squash, sliced
1/2 cup onion, diced
1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt
1/2 to 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
Paprika, optional
Dash cayenne pepper, optional
4 tablespoons butter, divided
1 cup almond flour, divided
3 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
4 eggs, beaten (I used 2 eggs plus 1/2 cup Egg Beaters)
1/4 cup milk or half-n-half
3 tablespoons sour cream, optional

Directions:

In a large non-stick skillet, saute yellow squash and onion in 2-3 tablespoons of butter (do not add water).  Stir-fry until tender (cover for a bit, if necessary, to help cook it more quickly); transfer cooked squash and onions to a medium mixing bowl.  In a separate bowl or glass measuring cup, beat eggs, milk, sour cream and add salt, pepper, cayenne to taste; set aside. 

In a small bowl, mix 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese with 1/2 cup almond flour; toss with fork until well mixed.  Add the almond flour/cheese mixture to the bowl of squash; toss and combine well.  Pour beaten egg and milk mixture into the squash mixture and combine well.  

In a separate small bowl, place remaining 1/2 cup of almond flour and remaining 1 tablespoon of butter.  Cut butter into the almond flour (like you do when you make the topping for a fruit crisp).  Once butter is cut in and the mixture is crumbly, add remaining 1 cup of cheddar cheese and cut into mixture until crumbly. Pour squash mixture into a lightly greased baking or casserole dish; top with the almond flour/butter/cheddar mixture and sprinkle with black pepper and paprika, if desired.   Bake in a 375 degree oven for approximately 35 minutes, or until golden brown and done.

*Note - This is an updated version of my original grain free version of the casserole that I experiment with every time I make it.  I think my updates make this delicious casserole even better. I made the following changes to the recipe because I realized I always added 6 cups of squash (the original said 5 to 6); I always end up adding in more cheddar cheese (the original had 2 cups; the new version has 3 cups); and I always sprinkle paprika on top, either before or after baking (paprika adds a beautiful deep golden color when used to dust the top of casseroles, etc. -- I think it's a grain-free cooks' best friend). You can add more or less cheese to the casserole if you prefer.  Most regular squash casseroles use 1 to 1-1/2  cups of milk along with the egg mixture.  I reduced the liquid to 1/4 cup of half-n-half in this grain free version because the almond flour doesn't absorb as much as the "52 Ritz crackers" that are in the original traditional recipe.

Voila!