Soft, white breadcrumbs are the secret to this classic casserole's tender, soufflé-like texture. To make fresh breadcrumbs, tear day-old slices of sandwich bread into pieces, and pulse several times in the food processor until coarse crumbs form.
I make this every Thanksgiving and Christmas and everyone loves it.
This is one of our favorites for the holidays. It is really important that you use homemade bread crumbs. The only thing that I changed in this recipe was added a little extra sharp cheese. Someone said, theirs came out dry. I have made it for the past 2 years and each time came out perfect and moist like a casserole usually does in an oven.
I thought this was really, really good. As one other reviewer commented, the fresh breadcrumbs are a must. I used whole wheat bread and the texture was great. Due to the quantity of squash in the recipe, getting it all cooked and drained needs more description than is in the recipe. Boiling it for 10 minutes was way more than was needed, considering it took quite a time to come to a boil. Next time, I think I would steam it or microwave it instead to cut down on the water in it. Also, my colander isn't big enough to squish it against the sides, so mine was a little more watery than it should be when I took the lid off for the final 20 minutes. I drained several spoonfuls of liquid off and the rest set up nicely with the lid off the crockpot and it turned to high for 10 minutes. I did use regular cheddar instead of sharp so I added a few dashes of hot sauce. Next time, I'll definitely use the sharp cheese. I also used light sour cream instead of regular.
This recipe was followed precisely but the end result was a dry, clumpy mess. If one could overlook the sight of this dish, the flavor was blander than bland. I am a very accomplished kitchen veteran who prepares food from scratch daily and I couldn't believe how awful this was. Save the trouble and the ingredients - steam your veggies!
I was looking to make all my Thanksgiving side dishes by slow cooker this year and was excited to find a recipe for squash casserole. I cheated and didn't make the homemade breadcrumbs. Don't make my mistake! The homemade breadcrumbs would have made this a very special dish.
Pretty good; a little rich.
