Yellow Squash Casserole - easy as pie!

I just stepped out of the kitchen after preparing a wonderful yellow squash (crookneck squash) casserole. The whole house is full of the delicious smell of sautéed onions and mushrooms and Italian seasonings. Normally, I sauté all of the ingredients together in one pan, toss in the bread crumbs and vegan cheddar style cheese, mix and then slide it into another casserole dish to bake for a little while. Not tonight. I decided to use my largest cast iron skillet and bake it in the oven in the same pan I did all of the sautéing in. All of the taste, with less of the clean up. And, since the cast iron skillet is larger in diameter than my casserole dishes, it should bake in a fraction of the time. My children are already asking how long until daddy gets home. I think the smell has perked up their appetites as well – or it could be that my son just wants some help from dad with the capture and breeding of his favorite toads!

The casserole is really easy to prepare – simply sauté a sliced onion, add 8 ounces of mushrooms and sauté a little more. Then add sliced crookneck squash (about 3-4 medium sized ones). Let the ingredients cook for a few minutes until the squash softens up. Then, turn off the heat, add some Earth Balance (about 2-3 Tablespoons), ¼ cup of cheddar style vegan cheese, 1 teaspoon of Italian Seasoning and enough bread crumbs to make it all the right consistency. Top it with cracker crumbs or some more grated cheese and bake it in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes. Pretty easy – and the family will think you slaved over it for hours. I normally make it the center dish and tonight we are having spinach with garlic and speckled butter beans on the side. Should I dare say what we are having for dessert? Warm sautéed pears – my daughter’s absolute favorite!