Stuffed Patty Pan Squash

Kelly Rossiter Photo
Kelly Rossiter

Difficulty Level Easy

I love going to the farmers' market at this time of the year and seeing the dazzling array of summer squashes. There are so many types, and they are incredibly versatile. Everybody is familiar with zucchini, but these sweet little patty pan squashes are wonderful. This was the first week for them and I snapped up a bunch of them. You can steam these, or bake them, or add them to a stir fry.

I don't usually stuff vegetables, because I find it fussy, but these were very easy to do. The skin of the squash is quite soft, so after cutting the top off I just scooped out the flesh with a spoon. If you have larger squash you can put the top back on it when you bake it for an interesting presentation, but these were just little guys, so I didn't bother.

I just served these as a side dish, but if you were having a dinner party they would make a wonderful first course. You could even serve it on top of a light tomato sauce from all the great tomatoes around at this time of the year. I grated a bit of Parmesan cheese on top but for a vegan dish, just leave that out.

INGREDIENTS

1 squash per person
olive oil
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1/2 ‑ 1 bunch swiss chard, chopped
fresh thyme
salt and pepper to taste
grated Parmesan cheese

PREPARATION:

  1. Slice the top off of the squash. Scoop out some of the flesh, taking care not to rip the skin of the squash. Reserve the flesh.
  2. In a skillet heat olive oil over moderate heat and cook the onions until translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the swiss chard and the reserved squash flesh and cook until the chard has softened, about 5 minutes. Add thyme and salt and pepper to taste.
  3. Spoon onion chard mixture into the squash. Drizzle with a bit of olive oil. Bake at 350F until the squash is cooked through, about 20 - 25 minutes. Sprinkle with grated cheese if using.
This recipe appears in: Vegetarian

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