when I was newly pregnant with my son 4 summers ago, I had the wild idea to do a round of whole30 while in my first trimester. it’s 30 days without processed foods, gluten, soy, dairy, alcohol, legumes, etc. Needless to say, all I wanted was comfort food through the nausea. nearing the 4th of July, I wanted to make a whole30 and paleo version of one of my favorite southern casseroles. this paleo southern squash casserole will hit all of those notes- it’s creamy, dreamy, comforting and delicious.
the inspiration:
I was obviously inspired by my pregnant hormones- ha! I remember the final meal that I made distinctly- it was grilled chicken apple sausages, this paleo southern squash casserole, and tons of ice cold watermelon and cherries. needless to say, I skipped the sausage and was happily content with my casserole and fruit.
paleo southern squash casserole ingredients:
- yellow squash: the star of the show.
- yellow onion: adds depth of flavor to the casserole.
- fresh chives: I adore this pop of freshness in the casserole and to garnish with.
- coconut milk: canned coconut milk is where we achieve our creaminess in the casserole. and don’t worry, it won’t taste like coconut with the other ingredients in the sauce.
- eggs: add structure to the casserole and help form the custard.
- pastured butter or ghee: flavor the dish and help form the custard.
- chicken or beef bone broth: add some protein to the dish and finish the custard base.
- grain-free flours: almond meal and arrowroot help form the crumble atop the casserole.
- nutritional yeast: adds a touch of “cheesy” flavor without the cheese or dairy.
- spices: this casserole is simply seasoned with salt, pepper and granulated garlic.
menu planning ideas:
here are some menu planning combinations if you want to dress this side dish up or down.
- weeknight dinner: serve the squash casserole alongside grilled chicken apple sausages and fresh avocado.
- casual couples dinner: serve the squash casserole with seared steaks and a simply-dressed arugula salad.
- sunday supper: serve the squash casserole with my easy burger bar and my mini fruit pizza cookies.
Paleo Southern Squash Casserole
This Paleo Southern Squash Casserole is gluten-free and grain-free yet so reminiscent of the original southern classic casserole.
Ingredients
- 1 medium yellow onion julienned thinly
- 4 large or 6 medium yellow squash sliced in ¼ inch-thick rounds
- Sprinkling of salt pepper and granulated garlic
- 1 cup filtered water
- 1 T butter or ghee
Custard:
- ¼ cup beef bone broth
- 2 pastured eggs
- ¼ cup canned coconut milk the white portion only
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- 4 Tablespoons butter or ghee melted
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 10 grinds of freshly-cracked black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon granulated garlic
Crumble Topping:
- 1 ¼ cups almond meal
- ½ cup arrowroot flour
- 4 Tablespoons butter or ghee melted
- Sprinkling of salt pepper and granulated garlic
- 1 Tablespoon fresh chives sliced thinly, plus more for garnishing
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a glass 8x8 pyrex dish.
- Heat a heavy bottomed pot over medium high heat and add butter. Stir in sliced onion and cook until translucent and softened, stirring often, for 5 minutes. Stir in sliced squash and a generous sprinkling of salt, pepper and granulated garlic. Add filtered water and reduce heat- cover pot. Cook for 10-15 min until squash is very soft. Drain well but don't rinse and return squash to pot. Set aside off the heat.
- While squash is cooking, make the casserole custard. In a large bowl, whisk together bone broth, eggs, coconut milk, nutritional yeast, melted butter and remaining seasonings. Set aside.
- Next, make the crumble topping. In a small bowl, combine all ingredients until a lightly moistened crumble-like topping is formed. Set aside.
- After squash is cooked and drained well, spoon a large scoop of warm squash into the custard, stirring quickly. You want to slowly add squash spoonfuls to temper the custard so the eggs do not scramble. Slowly continue to stir in squash until well combined. The mixture will seem thin but it will all firm up completely in the oven.
- Transfer filling to casserole dish, smoothing uniformly all over. Next, cover casserole uniformly with crumble topping.
- Bake on the middle oven rack for 40-45 minutes, until golden brown and bubbling, rotating pan 180 degrees 2-3 times throughout cooking. Let casserole cool 10 min before serving.
Delicious! But don’t forget to grease the dish like I did! I used a mix of zucchini and yellow squash. Pretty and yummy. I copied your weeknight serving suggestion with sausage and avocado.
Hi Carrie! I’m sooooo happy you loved it. The color combo sounds so pretty! Thanks again.