Who can say no to a piping hot bowl of this baked yellow squash noodles and cheese sitting right in front of them? I can’t. Nope. This easy squash casserole is a rich, creamy, and low carb way to get your cheese fix on for dinner tonight.
Oh So Grown-Up Baked Yellow Squash Noodles And Cheese
The other day, I had a hankering for baked macaroni and cheese that just wouldn’t go away. No matter how hard I tried to think of other things, the thought of ooey, gooey cheese-and-noodle deliciousness would just not escape me. I’ve had these cravings since I was a little girl, when I was always peeking my head into the pantry to see if one of the blue and yellow boxes was tucked away on a shelf. More often than not, I scored a box. Thanks Mom!!
By the time I went gluten free in 2010, I had pretty much perfected my own easy cheese sauce to satisfy any unexpected mac and cheese cravings that dropped out of the clear blue sky. Nowadays, though, I don’t indulge in pasta much, and am more into the trendy zoodle obsession cause, well, it’s sooo good. And I like good. I like good a lot.
Lucky for me, we had four beautiful yellow squash in the fridge, and all of the rest of the ingredients that I almost always use to make a cheese sauce. Score again!! Thanks me!! It was sooo meant to be. I love it when life works out like that. Yep.
After I julienned the squash, I spread them out over two baking sheets, and broiled them just like I did for my spicy chicken Stroganoff with broiled zoodles.
While each of the two batches were broiling, I whipped up the easy cheese sauce on the stove, and turned the oven down to 375 degrees F.
After a quick toss to combine the prepped ingredients, I popped the casserole into the oven, and finally got my mind to think about other things for a bit. You know, like what we were going to eat alongside the yummy baked yellow squash noodles and cheese??
I think in the end we went with grilled chicken breasts. But, I don’t really remember because this baked yellow squash and cheese was the star of our dinner show that night. Sometimes you just need to update a favorite comfort food a bit to make it a more relevant addition to your modern menu rotation. As for this recipe, I think it’s found a permanent home at our house. Yay, and yum to the tum…
- 4 yellow squash
- extra virgin olive oil spray
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon arrowroot starch
- ½ cup gluten free chicken broth
- ½ cup half-n-half
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- ½ cup cubed cream cheese
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper to taste
- Preheat broiler.
- Use a mandolin to julienne the squash. Remove seeds from julienned squash, if necessary.
- Spread yellow squash noodles over two shallow baking sheets that are lined with aluminum foil, then sprayed with extra virgin oil spray.
- Broil each sheet for 6 minutes. Remove and set aside.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Melt butter in saucepan. Add arrowroot starch, and stir until a blond roux is achieved.
- Combine remaining ingredients and stir until well-incorporated. Remove from heat.
- Add broiled yellow squash noodles to mixture, and stir until well-combined.
- Pour into a greased baking vessel, and bake uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the casserole is browned and bubbly.
