Summer Squash and Wild Rice Casserole

Squash season will soon be upon us.

Yellow Crookneck Squash

The time will come when I will make my daily trek out to the garden and be delighted to see that my first yellow crooknecks and zucchinis  are ready for picking...and then there will be more the next day, and the next, and the next. It will eventually get to the point where I have grown weary of eating squash sauteed in butter, I've frozen enough of it to last me the winter, and even dehydrated thin slices of it into chips, and still, it continues to produce, and begs for me to pick it.

Which is why I wanted to share this recipe--it was a winner (even my oldest son, who is not much into squash, said that it was good).

Summer Squash and Wild Rice Casserole

In all honesty, this recipe was created on the fly, as I rummaged through my refrigerator looking for what I had to doll up some frozen yellow crookneck I dug out for dinner.  I had leftover cooked wild rice and a few slices of cooked bacon, and thought if added a little cheese and some butter, we'd have ourselves a nice side dish.

*If you don't have any leftover cooked wild rice, you can simply prepare some:

Combine 2/3 cup wild rice and 2 cups water in a sauce pan.  Bring to a boil; cover and reduce heat to a simmer.  Cook about 45 minutes, or until moisture has been absorbed and rice is tender.

Summer Squash and Wild Rice Casserole

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2 Tablespoons soft butter
2-3 medium summer squash (1 pound), sliced (yellow crookneck, straight neck, zucchini)
2 cups cooked wild rice
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
3 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 2 quart casserole dish with the butter.

Using half the squash, arrange the slices in a single layer on the bottom of the casserole.  Spread half of the wild rice over the squash, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Layer the remaining squash slices, followed by the rest of the wild rice, and again season with salt and pepper.

Sprinkle the shredded cheddar over the rice, and top with the crumbled bacon.  Bake for 25 minutes.