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.
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 our 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 has also been a really successful attempt at getting 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) but I only had four, so I baked the extra filling in small ramekins to eat later. This is a one-dish meal that the whole family will enjoy. Who wouldn't love eating out of their own little squash bowl?!
How To Make Stuffed Pattypan Squash
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 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.
Slice the very bottom tip off the pattypan so it will lay flat in the baking dish. Like this.
Now slice the tops off the squash 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 ½ of the amount for your filling. Save remaining squash for another recipe or enjoy it raw with a little sea salt.
*If you do not want to use the beef in this recipe then use all of the squash for the 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 cook until just wilted). Remove from heat and stir in cooked quinoa, cheese and season with salt and pepper.
Fill squash, full to the top, with stuffing mixture. Place tops back onto the squash and drizzle with a little olive oil. Now they are ready for the oven...
Cover pan with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake 7-10 minutes more. Enjoy!
Grass-Fed Beef-Stuffed Pattypan Squash
Ingredients
- 6 Patty Pan Squash can also use large regular yellow squash
- 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- ½ sweet onion chopped
- 1-2 cloves garlic minced
- ½ cup quinoa
- 1 cup beef broth low-sodium
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese freshly shredded
- 1 cup frozen spinach thawed, squeezed and drained of all liquid (or packed 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 very bottom tip off the patty pan squashes so they will lay flat in the baking dish.
- Now slice the tops off the squash 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 ½ of the amount for your filling. Save remaining squash for another recipe or enjoy it raw with a little sea salt. NOTE: *If you do not want to use beef in this recipe then use all of the squash for the 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. Place tops back onto each squash and drizzle with a little olive oil. Now they are ready for the oven.
- Cover pan with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake 7-10 minutes more.
- Serve and enjoy!
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Anonymous
this sounds wonderful..have garden full of squash...thanks
Shelley Alexander
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.
Amee Livingston
Thank you Shelley! I hope that you enjoy the recipe! 🙂
BecHeflin
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! 🙂
Jane
This looks so good! I wish I could find some patty pan squash -- they are just so cute!
Amee Livingston
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. 🙂
Foodie Stuntman
I've been looking for a way to use patty pan squash!
Sarah @ Homestyle Cooking Around The World
This is such a great looking dish! I can't wait to try this when my patty pan squash are ready in my garden.
thelady8home
The colors, the colorss!! They are GORGEOUS!!! And I can already imagine how yummy it is. Love the recipe!Amee, I have awarded you the Addictive Blogger Award :)http://www.thelady8home.com/2012/07/12/awarded-the-addictive-blogger-award/
Amee Livingston
thank you all! Glad you love them!!
Javelin Warrior
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...
Amee Livingston
Minnie, thank you so much for this great award! I am truly honored! Javelin, I am excited to be a feature on your page today....thanks so much!! 🙂
Marlys Folly
YUM this looks great. Thanks for sharing on Foodie Friends Friday
Robyns View
How cute! I think my husband would LOVE these! Thank you for sharing on Foodie Friends Friday! I am your newest follower!~Robyn
Janice
This is great. I've been searching for different recipes to make with grass fed beef. This is definitely different and looks delicious. I look forward to serving it.
The Foodie Physician
Such a gorgeous and healthy dish- they look like beautiful little presents waiting to be eaten! This is probably a great way to get kids to eat veggies 🙂
Ericka Breedlove
The pictures of your recipe are beautiful! And the recipe looks great too! Thanks for sharing on Foodie Friends Friday!
Walking on Sunshine...
Looks beautiful and sounds delicious! Thanks for sharing on Foodie Friends Friday. Please come back again next week with another great recipe! And for finding me on Facebook!
From Calculus to Cupcakes
This is beautiful and sounds delicious! Thanks for linking up on Foodie Friends Friday!
Amee Livingston
Thank you! I am thrilled that you all love the recipe! 🙂
Cindy
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!
Amee Livingston
Love hearing this Cindy! So glad that you enjoyed it!!