Stuffed Pattypan Squash
Stuffed pattypan squash uses the bounty of your garden harvest to make a tasty summer casserole you’ll love. With a meaty filling and Mediterranean flavors, your family will want this dinner over and over again!
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The hubs and I are really into gardening.
You know how a lot of people throw some tomatoes and squash into the ground and are happy?
Yeah, that’s not us.
We grow tomatoes, fruits of all kind and several kinds of squash aside from zucchini like pattypan squash.
The variety lets us enjoy so many yummy dishes like this Mediterranean inspired stuffed pattypan squash.
What is pattypan squash?
Pattypan squash is a type of summer squash that can be yellow, white or green.
It’s fairly small with a shallow, round shape and scalloped edges. It looks a bit like a flying saucer. Their unique shape makes them perfect for stuffing.
Because they are most tender and their skins are still soft when they are still pretty young, you will want to harvest them when they are no more than 6-8″ and you may have trouble finding bigger ones than that at the grocery store.
You may also see the pattypan squash called as scallop squash, peter pan squash since it is best when it’s not fully grown, sunburst squash or granny squash.
Where can I buy pattypan squash?
Pattypan squash is very easy to find in the south in the summer.
I have seen them at my local grocery store, but if I can’t find them at the grocery store, the local farmer’s market will likely have it.
Ingredients
To make this stuffed squash recipe, you’ll need:
- Ground meat– Use a mixture of lean ground beef and ground pork. Don’t like beef? Use all pork. Don’t like pork? Use all beef.
- Pattypan squash– Choose pattypan squash with smooth skin, not bumpy skin so it’s more tender. You’ll want to scoop the center out with a melon baller.
- Aromatics– Chopped white onion and minced garlic make this smell and taste amazing.
- Spinach– Go for fresh baby spinach instead of the more mature spinach leaves.
- Eggs– To bind the filling.
- Orzo– Cook it according to package instructions, drain it and rinse it under cold water.
- Dill– Fresh dill is amazing in this. Don’t substitute dried dill if you can help it.
- Salt and pepper– A little goes a long way here.
- Feta– Crumble it up for a cheesy treat.
How to Make
Making stuffed pattypan squash is very similar to making other stuffed squash recipes.
To start, prepare the squash by cutting off the top third of each squash. Then use a melon baller to scoop out the inside pulp- leaving a 1″ thick shell behind. Discard the pulp.
While you are prepping the squash, bring a large stock pot full of water to a rolling boil, and boil the prepared squash until they are barely fork tender.
Remove them from the hot water with tongs and set them aside to drain.
While the squash is boiling, brown both the meats in a large skillet over medium heat, using a meat chopper cook it, breaking the meat up as it browns.
When the meat’s halfway done, stir in the onion and garlic and cook everything until the meat’s browned throughout.
Discard most of the fat, and then return the skillet to the stove over low heat to stir in the spinach.
Cover and let the mixture cook until the spinach has wilted. Then, uncover the skillet, and cook off almost all remaining liquid, stirring as it cooks.
Remove the skillet from heat, and let the meat mixture cool for 15-20 minutes.
Make sure the mixture’s cool, then stir in the beaten egg, pepper, half of the dill, orzo pasta, and half the feta until everything’s evenly incorporated.
Now, add the prepared squash to a baking tray and spoon the filling evenly into it before topping them with the remaining feta.
Bake the prepared squash at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until the stuffing is golden brown on top and the squash is tender.
Sprinkle the rest of the dill evenly out over the baked squash and serve.
Can I make this ahead of time?
Yes! You can absolutely put this together ahead of the time or assemble it earlier in the day and then just pop it in the oven about half an hour prior to serving.
Storing Leftovers
This dish makes incredible leftovers so it would be a perfect make ahead meal.
To store leftovers, wrap the baking tray tightly in aluminum foil and pop it in the fridge for up 4 days.
Reheat in the oven until warmed through.
Tips and Tricks
- If you can’t find larger (6-8″) sized pattypan squash, use 10-12 smaller ones.
- Remember when picking your squash that smooth skin on squash is better than over ripe bumps.
- This recipe will work well with other squash varieties too. I’ve also made it using acorn and butternut.
- Don’t skip cooling the cooked meat mixture before adding in the remaining ingredients! If it’s too warm you risk the eggs cooking.
- For more bright flavor and extra Mediterranean vibes, you can give the mixture a splash of lemon juice.
Other Squash Recipes You’ll Love
This stuffed pattypan squash recipe is a favorite in our household all summer long. Add it to your dinner menu and enjoy!
Looking for other stuffed squash recipes? Try these:
If you’ve tried this STUFFED PATTYPAN SQUASH or any other recipe on the site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and whatever else we’ve got going on!
Stuffed Patty Pan Squash
Ingredients
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 1/2 lb ground pork
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 4-6 large patty pan squash
- 1/2 cup chopped white onion
- 2 tbsp minced garlic
- 5 oz fresh baby spinach
- 2 large eggs beaten
- freshly cracked black pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh dill divided
- 1 1/3 cups cooked orzo pasta drained and rinsed in cold water to stop cooking
- 1 heaping cup crumbled feta cheese divided
Instructions
- Cut off the top third of each squash, and then use a melon baller to scoop out the inside pulp- leaving a 1" thick shell behind. Discard the pulp.
- Bring a large stock pot full of water to a rolling boil, and boil the prepared squash for 5 minutes, or just until barely fork tender. Using tongs remove them from the hot water, and set them aside to drain.
- Add both the meats to a large skillet set over medium heat, and using a meat chopper cook breaking the meat up as it browns.
- When the meat's halfway done, stir in the onion & garlic, and continue to cook until the meat's browned throughout.
- Strain off most of the fat, and then return the skillet to the stove over low heat. Stir in the spinach.
- Cover and let the mixture cook for 2 minutes, or just until the spinach has wilted. Uncover the skillet, and cook off almost all remaining liquid, stirring as it cooks.
- Remove the skillet from heat, and let the meat mixture cool for 15-20 minutes.
- Make sure the mixture's cool, then stir in the beaten egg, pepper, half of the dill, orzo pasta, and half the feta until everything's evenly incorporated.
- Add the prepared squash to a baking tray, and spoon the filling evenly into the cavities. Sprinkle the remaining feta cheese evenly out overtop of the stuffed squash.
- Bake the prepared squash at 350° for 25-30 minutes, or until the stuffing is golden brown on top and the squash is tender.
- Sprinkle the rest of the dill evenly out over the baked squash, and serve.
Nutrition
This post may contain affiliate links. As an amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. See my full Disclosure Policy for details. As always, all opinions are my own.
