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Savory Stuffed Pattypan Squash

A recipe for stuffed pattypan squash stuffed with grass-fed ground beef, quinoa, spinach, and cheese. This recipe is fun to serve and delicious to eat and makes a healthy summertime meal.

close up of stuffed patty pan squash with ground beef baked and topped with fresh parsley

I am featuring another stuffed squash recipe this week with these beautiful pattypan squash from our local farmer’s market. Haydengrove Farms has the most gorgeous produce and I love supporting local farmers.

The stuffed pattypan squash contains a blend of grass-fed beef, quinoa, spinach, garlic, onion, and Parmesan cheese. The flavors are so wonderful together. This was also a successful attempt to get my kids to love quinoa.

Cooking the quinoa in beef broth gives it a lot of great flavor before adding to the dish. The recipe makes enough filling for 6-8 squash (depending on the size), so you can bake any extra filling in small ramekins. This is a one-dish meal that the whole family will enjoy. Who wouldn’t love eating out of a personal squash bowl?!😃

Ingredients you’ll need

ingredients for stuffed patty pan squash with beef measured out on a counter
  • Patty Pan Squash- you can also use large yellow squash, Gold Rush squash, or zucchini
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • Onion- I use sweet Vidalia onion
  • Fresh garlic 
  • Quinoa 
  • Beef broth-you can use regular beef broth or low-sodium, beef stock also works great
  • Parmesan cheese- freshly shredded
  • Spinach- both thawed frozen spinach and fresh spinach work well in this recipe
  • Lean ground beef- grass-fed or regular lean ground beef
  • Salt and pepper- to taste

How To Make Stuffed Pattypan Squash 

collage photo of steps to make stuffed patty pan squash with ground beef and quinoa cooked in beef broth

Step 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with a little cooking spray. Bring the beef broth to a boil over high heat. Add quinoa, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 12-15 minutes until all liquid is absorbed. Set aside and allow to cool. Now you are ready to prepare your squash for filling.

4 patty pan squash on a cutting board

Slice the tip off the pattypan so it will lay flat in the baking dish. You can cut it from the top or bottom, you want a flat surface so it will sit in the baking dish without tipping over. Like this…

a patty pan squash with the tip cut off to lay flat

Step 2. Now slice off the other end of the squash and carefully scoop out most of the inner flesh, be careful not to break through the sides and bottom. If you are slicing off the tops- save the cap to cover the squash while baking. If I have gorgeous squash with nice stems, I cut them from the top for a pretty presentation. I’ve done it both ways for this post so you can see the difference. Dice the scooped squash into small pieces and use 1/2 of the amount for your filling. Save the remaining squash for another recipe or enjoy it raw with a sprinkle of sea salt.

cutting a patty pan squash to scoop out the flesh

Step 3. Heat olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Cook onion, garlic, and squash in the olive oil for about 3-4 minutes until onions begin to soften. Add ground beef and cook until no longer pink. Stir in spinach (if using fresh cook until just wilted). Remove from heat and stir in the cooked quinoa, and cheese. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Step 4. Fill squash, full to the top, with stuffing mixture and place them into the greased baking dish. If you cut the stem end, place the tops back onto the squash and drizzle with a little olive oil. Cover the pan with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 10-15 minutes more.

This batch was stuffed from the top with the tops placed back onto the squash before baking.

stuffed patty pan squash with top stem end cut off and place back on top before baking

Recipe tips

  • For a vegetarian version, skip the beef and use all of the chopped squash for the filling along with the other ingredients.
  • You can cut either end of the squash to stuff. If your patty pans have pretty stems, then I usually save the cap and stuff from the top. If the tops are more flat, then I flip them and cut from the bottom.
  • If you are not a quinoa fan, you can swap the quinoa with freshly cooked rice and omit the beef broth.
  • Go for Patty Pan squash that are about 4″ in diameter for best texture and flavor.

This batch was scooped from the bottom before stuffing.

a pan of cooked stuffed patty pan squash in a white baking dish

More tasty squash recipes

Stuffed Air Fryer Acorn Squash

Tex-Mex Stuffed Yellow Squash

Roasted Butternut Squash with Cinnamon

Grilled Italian Stuffed Zucchini Boats

Cauliflower Squash Casserole

If you love this stuffed patty pan squash recipe, I would be so grateful if you could leave a 5-star 🌟 rating in the recipe card below. I love reading your comments and feedback!

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a stuffed patty pan with ground beef on a small plate with a fork and napkin
close up of stuffed patty pan squash with ground beef baked and topped with fresh parsley

Grass-Fed Beef-Stuffed Pattypan Squash

Delicate patty pan squash stuffed with grass fed ground beef, quinoa, spinach and cheese – a delicious and healthy dinner!
5 from 4 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 55 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 6
Calories: 342kcal
Author: Amee

Ingredients

  • 6 Patty Pan Squash can also use large regular yellow squash
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 sweet onion chopped
  • 1-2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/2 cup quinoa 
  • 1 cup beef broth low-sodium
  • 1 cup Parmesan cheese freshly shredded
  • 8 oz frozen spinach thawed, squeezed and drained of all liquid (or a packed cup of fresh spinach, stems removed)
  • 1 lb ground grass fed beef
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 9×13 baking dish with a little non stick cooking spray.  

For the squash:

  • Bring the beef broth to a boil in a sauce pan over high heat. Add quinoa, reduce heat to low and simmer for 12-15 minutes or until all liquid is absorbed. Set aside and allow to cool.  Now you are ready to prepare your squash for filling.
  • Slice the tip off the patty pan squashes so they will lay flat in the baking dish.
  • Now slice off the other end (if slicing the tops- save the cap) and carefully scoop out most of the inner flesh, being careful not to break through the sides and bottom.  
  • Dice the scooped squash into small pieces and use 1/2 of the amount for your filling.
  • Heat olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Cook onion, garlic and squash in the olive oil for about 3-4 minutes until onions begin to soften.  Add ground beef and cook until no longer pink. Stir in spinach (if using fresh spinach, cook until just wilted).
  • Remove pan from heat and stir in cooked quinoa and cheese; season with salt and pepper.
  • Fill squash, full to the top, with stuffing mixture and place them into the greased baking dish. Place tops back onto each squash (if using) and drizzle with olive oil. Now they are ready for the oven.
  • Cover pan with foil and bake for 30 minutes.  Remove foil and bake 10-15 minutes more.
  • Serve and enjoy!

Notes

    • For a vegetarian version, skip the beef and use all of the chopped squash for the filling along with the other ingredients.
    • You can cut either end of the squash to stuff. If your patty pans have pretty stems, then I usually save the cap and stuff from the top. If the tops are more flat, then I flip them and cut from the bottom.
    • If you are not a quinoa fan, you can swap the quinoa with freshly cooked rice and omit the beef broth.
    • Go for Patty Pan squash that are around 4″ in diameter for best texture and flavor.
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Nutrition

Calories: 342kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 60mg | Sodium: 490mg | Potassium: 792mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 3548IU | Vitamin C: 34mg | Calcium: 287mg | Iron: 4mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @ameecooks or tag #ameecooks!
Amee Livingston
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22 Comments

  1. Hi Amee, This recipe looks so tasty! I will have to make it as soon as I go to the Farmers market tomorrow and get some squash. I already have the grass fed beef, spinach, beef broth, and quinoa. Thanks for sharing.

  2. I just can’t get over how GORGEOUS this dish is, Amee! I wish the produce here in Wisconsin was as beautiful and abundant as yours is. This scorching heat has been a KILLER for our crops. I guess I’ll just have to drool over your deliciousness for a while longer! 🙂

  3. Thank you Becca! It has been a hard summer for farmers with the extreme heat. I hope the rain continues to offer some relief! Jane, they are fun squash to work with. My kids loved eating out of them. 🙂

  4. On Fridays, I share my favorite food finds in a series called Food Fetish Friday – and I love this post so I’m featuring it as part of today’s roundup (with a link-back and attribution). I hope you have no objections and I’m happy to be following along with your creations…

  5. I cooked this dish today and it was excellent! I will definitely be making this again. My sisters and brother-in-law loved it as well, so I have now shared the recipe. Thanks for sharing this yummy recipe!

5 from 4 votes (4 ratings without comment)

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