Perfect Squash Casserole

This might be my favorite "southern food" recipe. 

I made this dish for the Vines family reunion one year, and it was GONE!

Squash Casserole
(from "Taste of the South" magazine)

Ingredients

12 cups (4 lbs) yellow squash, sliced {the summer kind}
1 cup onion, chopped
2/3 cup salted butter, divided
1 1/2 Tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 eggs, beaten
1 sleeve Ritz crackers, crushed

Prep

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a large pot over high heat boil squash in enough water to cover until fork-tender, approximately 10 minutes. Remove from heat, drain well. Return to pot.
• In a small skillet over medium heat saute onion in 1/3 cup butter until onion is translucent. Pour over squash.
• Add sugar, salt, pepper, and egg to squash. Stir gently to combine.
• Pour mixture into lightly greased 9x13 baking dish. Top with crushed crackers. Melt remaining 1/3 cup butter and drizzle over crushed crackers. Bake 1 hour or until golden brown.
• Serves 12-16. {I happen to think it serves more like 8.}
• 1/8 of recipe = 270 calories

IMPORTANT TIPS:

• It is important to drain the squash very well before adding it back to the pot, so that you don't dilute the deliciousness with excess water. What I do is pour the cooked squash into a colander, and then just let it sit there for half an hour or more, pressing it with a fork every so often. That way, a lot of the water will simply evaporate away.
• This dish does not keep particularly well (the Ritz cracker crust turns soggy in the fridge), so make half the recipe if you are cooking for 3-4 or less. I like to use an 8x8 glass baking dish when I make a half-batch.