Italian-ish Squash Casserole

My week so far has been good.  Except for a tiny, little, near-death experience, it has been good.

And I will *not* be embarrassed one bit for calling an ambulance to come get me because I thought I was having a heart attack yesterday.  Every person who thinks they are dying should definitely call an ambulance.  That's just the right thing to do.

I am, however, utterly and completely MORTIFIED at my attire and lack of proper hygiene.  (In my defense, I was just about to go outside to have a hot and sweaty work day.  And tell me why should I shower for that?)

But when my heart suddenly started pounding out of my chest and I was gasping for air and the room was spinning and growing darker by the second, raggedy clothing and the extra layer of plaque on my teeth seemed completely irrelevant.

It didn't hit me until ten minutes later when the ambulance crew arrived and my heart had settled down and my breathing had returned to almost normal, that complete strangers were there to take me out of my home and out into the world where other strangers and possibly people that I actually knew would be seeing me face to face.  Did I really want to do this?

But somehow an "U-hm, nevermind. I'm okay now, guys." just didn't seem appropriate.  It was too late.  I was committed even though I had on the grungiest pair of yoga pants ever and a baby blue bass t-shirt that my husband had bought back in the eighties.  (In my defense, it's really soft and comfy.  Probably because it's threadbare.)

Plus, I was beyond scared.   I don't want to make light of that.

Even though I'm making light of that.  It's the way I deal with my own afflictions. 

So I had some kind of scary, weird episode with my heart.  It wasn't a heart attack and I will be following up with my doctor *for reals* next week.  And I will be showering even before I go mow now and shopping for much nicer yoga pants to wear around the house.  The kind that I would be proud to wear in public if the need arises.  Which I hope it won't.  But you never know.

So enough about my health problems.  Let's talk about squash.  I love it. I bought two big boxes of it last week to put up in the freezer.  And I was all happy and stuff because my hubby is always saying how much he likes those "old-fashioned vegetables" like the kind he ate as a child when he and his family had a great, big garden, so I was all "Babe, I have squash!"  And he was like "Squash is okay, but it's not my favorite."  It turns out snap beans rank much higher on his list.  Still, I wanted to make a squash recipe that would really knock his socks off, but yet be comforting and remind him of his childhood, so I made some slight changes to a regular old squash casserole.  And you know what he said to me?  He said, "Lorie darling [he calls me Lorie darling sometimes], the next time we have a get together anywhere, you should bring this."

Score.

Here are my notes:

-I used about 8 heaping cups of chopped squash, which sounds like a lot but I was able to fit it all in a 9 x 9-inch square casserole dish.  It was two really large squash and one medium.

-I am loving Progresso's Italian flavored panko crumbs. 

-I used fresh Parmesan cheese which I shredded myself. 

-If I had thought about it at the time, I might have added in some chopped fresh basil. But I didn't think about it.  Plus, my basil plants are struggling. :(

Italian-ish Squash Casserole

Printable Recipe

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

8 heaping cups chopped yellow squash

1 large onion, chopped

1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup mayonnaise

Kosher salt and coarsely ground black pepper to taste

1 cup Italian style panko bread crumbs

3 tablespoons melted butter

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray 9 x 9 inch casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray.

Heat the oil and 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the squash and onion, and cook until squash is crisp-tender. Transfer to a large bowl and stir in the Parmesan and mayonnaise. Add salt and pepper to taste.  Pour into casserole dish.  Stir together the panko crumbs and 3 tablespoons melted butter and sprinkle on the squash.  Bake for 20 minutes or until the top is golden brown and bubbly.