Are you looking for a comforting, flavorful, and keto-friendly side dish? This keto squash casserole with a crispy pork rind topping might become your new favorite. It's a delightful Southern-inspired dish perfect for Thanksgiving, family dinners, or any occasion when you crave creamy, delicious comfort food without the carbs. This recipe is not only easy to make but also a fantastic way to incorporate more vegetables into your diet.
Why You'll Love This Keto Squash Casserole
This keto squash casserole is a mouth-wateringly delicious dish that combines tender yellow squash with a creamy, cheesy sauce and a perfectly crunchy topping. It's a gluten-free squash casserole recipe that's so delicious, it makes the perfect side dish for almost any dinner. If you garden in the summer months, this recipe is a great way to use all your fresh yellow squash.
Compared to traditional squash casseroles, this recipe swaps out high-carb ingredients like cream of chicken soup and cracker crumbs for a low-carb homemade sauce and topping. Best of all, it only takes about 10-15 minutes to prep. After that, you throw it in the oven for about 20-25 minutes, and then dinner is ready to serve.
Is Squash Keto-Friendly?
When starting a low-carb diet, many people wonder if they can still enjoy squash. The answer is a resounding yes, especially when it comes to summer squash varieties like yellow squash and zucchini.
Your average cup of squash has only about 3 net carbs per serving. With so few carbs in squash, you have so many options: spaghetti squash, zucchini, summer squash, yellow Italian squash…how exciting! You can even use a squash mixture if you have all of the above handy for a new take on an old classic, comfort food, southern style casserole. Squash medley casserole follows the same recipe, just using a variety for the vegetables.
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Varieties of summer squash, like zucchini or yellow squash, are pretty low in carbs. They usually contain around 4 grams of carbohydrates and 1 gram of fiber per cup. Winter squash, on the other hand, have more variety in both shape and nutrient profiles. Spaghetti squash is one of the lowest-carb winter squashes with 7 grams of carbs and 1.5 grams of fiber per cup.
Ingredients You'll Need
This recipe requires just a handful of simple ingredients:
- Yellow Squash: The star of the show! Yellow summer squash is the main ingredient, providing a mild flavor and tender texture.
- Green Onions: Green onions (aka scallions) add a lot of flavor to this dish.
- Cheddar Cheese: Shredded cheddar cheese gives a lot of flavor.
- Pork Rinds: These crispy fried pork skins create a delicious and crunchy low-carb topping.
- Parmesan Cheese: Adds a salty, savory flavor to the topping.
- Heavy Whipping Cream: Creates a creamy and rich sauce.
- Eggs: Help bind the casserole together.
- Butter: Adds richness and flavor.
- Salt & Black Pepper: You can add these to your personal preference.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Here's how to make this easy keto squash casserole:
1. Prepare the Vegetables
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the chopped squash into a skillet with a couple tablespoons of water over medium-high heat, and cook for 5 minutes. Drain the squash, and add the green onion to the skillet. Saute for a minute, and add salt and pepper to taste.
2. Assemble the Casserole
Place the squash mixture in a well-greased 9×9 baking dish. Mix together the beaten egg and ½ cup of heavy whipping cream, and pour this mixture over the squash in the casserole dish. Top the squash with 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese.
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3. Make the Pork Rind Topping
Crush up about 2 oz of pork rinds to create 1/2 cup of crumbs. Pour ¼ c of parmesan cheese into the bowl with the pork rinds, and stir to combine completely. Add the melted butter into the bowl with the pork rind mixture, and stir to combine. Sprinkle the pork rinds crumbs over the top of the squash casserole.
4. Bake
Bake for 20 minutes until browned and bubbly.
5. Garnish and Serve
Garnish with chopped green onions and serve.
Tips and Variations
- Add more vegetables. Sub some of the summer squash for a myriad of squashes, like zucchini (try zucchini casserole) or butternut.
- Cheese: Either swap out the cheddar entirely or do a combination of various cheeses.
- Seasoning: Add some Italian seasoning to the pork rind mixture for some extra pizzazz.
- Add meat. Turn this into a keto chicken casserole by adding in some cooked meat. You can add in cooked ground beef or diced smoked sausage. A more subtle flavor would be to add shredded chicken. Another delicious option is making your keto squash casserole with bacon. Add some bacon crumbled over the top -and, if you’ve got plenty, add it into the casserole too.
- Make it spicy.
- Add sour cream. Want to try a squash casserole with sour cream?
- Greek Squash Casserole: You can also turn it into a Greek squash casserole by swapping the parmesan for feta and adding baby spinach and chopped kalamata olives right before baking.
- Squash medley casserole: Squash medley casserole follows the same recipe, just using a variety for the vegetables.
Make-Ahead and Storage Instructions
Yes, you can make this casserole ahead of time. Bake the gluten free squash casserole recipe as directed then allow it to cool down completely. Once it’s cool, wrap it up with plastic wrap tightly, then place in the fridge. Additionally, you can freeze squash casserole, and it will last around 1-2 months. It’s just important to make sure it’s completely airtight and protected. This is a fantastic freezer meal or perfect for meal prepping if you like to do that.
Make sure that the gluten free summer squash casserole is defrosted if you had frozen it. Then you can place it in the oven at 375 degrees F. for 10-15 minutes. You just want it to be hot, and then you can serve it. Additionally, you can heat it in the microwave. I prefer to cover it with a paper towel, so it doesn’t pop all over the microwave. Start with 30-second intervals for smaller serving sizes.
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To reheat your casserole, I recommend sticking it back in the oven. Reheat in the microwave - or the oven or toaster oven for a crispier top layer. Thaw in the fridge and reheat like above. If you want to freeze before you bake it, assemble and wrap it in a good amount of freezer foil.
Simply store the casserole in an airtight container in the refrigerator.