Stuffed Pattypan Squash

How cute are these squash??

Stuffed whaaa?? Pattypan squash, also known as scalloped squash. These cute little round squash are perfect for stuffing! If you can't find these, then just use regular small squash. If you are using regular squash, make little boats out of them by cutting each one in half and hollowing them out with either a spoon or a melon baller. Fill the boats with the quinoa and top with cheese. There is actually a benefit to making longer squash boats - more cheese!

These adorable squash are stuffed with a quinoa/rice mix flavored with sundried tomato and basil. I always have a box of some kind of quinoa/grain mix that already includes seasoning. It makes last-minute dinners so much easier. The latest one we tried is this Urbane Grain Whole Grain Blend Quinoa that we got at BJs, and I love it. I am not sure why the one Amazon review is bad, I think my apartment smells wonderful when I cook this stuff. The only downside is that the packets are kind of small. But for this recipe one packet is perfect.

If you don't have a favorite quinoa/grain/rice mix, you can cook a a cup of quinoa in some chicken or vegetable broth and add some chopped sundried tomato and basil. Use the quinoa mixture to stuff the squash.

Quinoa Stuffed Squash

Total time: 1 hour.

• 4 pattypan squash (or 4 small yellow squash)
• 1 packet of Whole Grain Quinoa Blend with Sundried Tomato & Basil
• 2-3 oz cheese, shredded (I used monterey jack with jalapeno)
• Non stick spray

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Spray your baking dish with olive oil or non-stick spray.

2. Slice a bit off the bottom of each squash so that they have a flat section they can stand on. Using a small paring knife, cut out a cone-shaped circle from each squash, removing most of the seeds. Leave about ½ inch edge all around.

You see my picture below? I would recommend trying to cut out more of the insides and leaving a thinner squash than below, otherwise there is just a bit too much squash and not enough quinoa.

Save the remains of the squash for your broth bag. What, you don't have a broth bag in your freezer??

2. Stuff each squash with quinoa.

3. Top with shredded cheese. You should add more than I did because cheese is good.

4. Bake for 30 minutes. Let it cool 10 minutes before eating.

We are these with roasted corn (also roasted for 30 minutes in the husks) and avocado. It was very healthy and delicious. But I do wish I put more cheese on the top of the quinoa 🙂