CREAMY SQUASH CASSEROLE

CREAMY SQUASH CASSEROLE
4 medium yellow squash, cut into half moons (about 1 1/2 pounds before trimming)
1 small onion, slivered (2 1/2 ounces)
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
4-8 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded *

Saut?the onion and celery in the butter along with the chicken bouillon granules until the celery and onion are very soft and a little browned, about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, cook the squash in boiling water (or microwave) until tender; drain very well and pat as dry as possible. Combine all of the ingredients in a greased 1 1/2 quart casserole or 6x8" baking dish. Bake at 350? uncovered, 30 minutes or until nicely browned and bubbly.

Makes 6 servings
Can be frozen

* I used 8 ounces of cheddar in mine because I wanted it to be very cheesy. 4 ounces would be plenty if you want to cut back on the fat and calories so I've included the counts for both amounts.

With 4 ounces cheese:
Per Serving: 203 Calories; 18g Fat; 6g Protein; 6g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 4g Net Carbs

With 8 ounces cheese:
Per Serving: 279 Calories; 24g Fat; 11g Protein; 7g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 5g Net Carbs

I got the inspiration for this from a squash casserole that a friend made. Hers wasn't low carb and had a bread crumb topping. When she told me that it was made with cheese and mayonnaise, I instantly thought that the sauce from Dottie's Green Bean Casserole would be just the thing for this recipe. This is now my favorite squash casserole. I don't care much for recipes that are thickened with eggs. They taste too much like quiche to me and have a scrambled egg-like texture. I like this much better and it's just the thing I've been looking for. The flavor of the sauce reminds of Campbell's Cream of Celery soup. Click the photo to see a close-up.

I thought I'd mention that I got the chance to try out one of the new Ziploc Zip 'n Steam bags to cook the squash. I'd gotten a free sample bag in the mail a while back and this was a good chance to try it out. It cooked the squash nicely and there was very little water to drain off. I did cook mine a minute longer than recommended on the bag because I wanted the squash to be soft.

UPDATE: This is also very good with zucchini and pepper-jack cheese. Click the photo below to see a close-up:

1. Prev:PARMESAN SQUASH
2. Next:ZUCCHINI FRIES