Italian Stuffed Squash
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A simple, healthy, delicious and low-calorie meal to enjoy any time of the year. Select seasonal squash accordingly.
This recipe uses patty pan squash, a buttery Summer squash variety. Have you been noticing the great deals on Summer squash lately? Take advantage of them! But you can use any variety of squash you like that has a “lid” (ie, a top that can be cut off and then replaced for baking. Cooking methods will differ and those instructions are provided below.
The filling can be prepared way in advance and then later filled into the squash, topped with cheese and baked. It makes for a neat presentation for dinner guests to each have their own squash, but you can fill a larger squash instead and serve it family-style at the table with your choice of sides.
Let’s get started!
Squash, squash, beautiful squash! If you’re using these patty pan squash, we’re going to boil them first. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and boil the squash whole for 15-20 minutes just until fork tender. Also, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
While those are boiling, and then cooling so they can be handled, make the filling.
In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil and cook the sausage until no longer pink. Add the onion and and garlic and cook until the onion is soft and translucent, 4-5 minutes.
Nothing beats the flavor of fresh herbs. Use a a variety of Italian herbs. I used rosemary, basil, thyme, oregano and sage.
Add the chopped herbs, tomatoes, white wine, salt and pepper to the meat mixture.
Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium and simmer, uncovered, for 7-8 minutes until most of the liquid is evaporated. Add more salt and pepper to taste.
Cut the tops of the squash, about 1/4 of the way down, and scoop out the seeds and a little of the flesh to make a cavity for the filling. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper.
Divide the mixture up between the squash and fill the cavities.
Divide the cheese up and sprinkle over each squash. See that cute baby squash? That’s for our 2 year old.
Place the tops on the squash.
Transfer them to a baking sheet and bake in the oven for about 20 minutes or until very tender.
Your beautiful squash are ready to eat!
Be sure to try these other delicious squash recipes!
Curried Pumpkin Coconut Meatballs
Curried Apple & Butternut Squash Soup
Sausage, Fennel & Butternut Squash Lasagna
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Italian Stuffed Squash
Ingredients
- 4 medium-small patty pan squash (see NOTE for other squash options)
- 3/4 pound bulk Italian sausage
- 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion ,diced
- 1 clove garlic ,minced
- 1 14.5 oz can petite diced tomatoes, drained
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped Italian herbs (rosemary, thyme, oregano, basil, sage)
- 1/4 cup dry white wine
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Bring a large stock pot of water to a boil and boil the squash for 15-20 minutes just until barely fork tender. When cool enough to handle, cut the tops off and scoop out the seeds and a little of the flesh to make a cavity for the filling.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil and cook the sausage until no longer pink. Add the onion and and garlic and cook until the onion is soft and translucent, 4-5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, herbs, white wine, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium and simmer, uncovered, for 7-8 minutes until most of the liquid is evaporated. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- While the mixture is simmering, prepare the squash. Fill the cavity of each squash with the sausage mixture and top with 3 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese. Place the "lids" on top of each squash.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the squash feels tender when squeezed or a fork can be easily inserted through the flesh. (See NOTE if using a different squash variety)
Notes
Nutrition
Hi, I’m Kimberly Killebrew and welcome to Daring Gourmet where you'll find delicious originals, revitalized classics, and simply downright good eats from around the world! Originally from Germany, later raised in England, world-traveled, and now living in the U.S., from my globally-influenced kitchen I invite you to tour the world through your taste buds!
This was fantastic! We grew pattypans for the first time this summer, and I wanted to do something different with them that was more of a main course meal. This was perfect!!
Two small deviations: I have a steamer, so instead of boiling, I steamed the pattypans as the first step until they were fork-tender. Also, this was my only course, so I wanted to bulk up the dish a bit. Instead of cooking down all the liquid, I added two cups of cooked rice and added the scooped-out parts of the squash to the dish as well. When I baked it, I put a layer of the stuffing mixture down first, then filled the pattypans and put them on top — mine were small, so they only held a teaspoon or two. I also waited to put the parmesan on top until the last five minutes of baking.
Regardless, those were only variations on the original, and the original is superb! Thank you for sharing!
Wonderful, Elizabeth, I’m so glad you enjoyed them and thank you for the feedback on those variations!
I have paty pan squash but what does small medium or large mean in this context. A measurement or weight would be useful.
Our garden is overflowing with beautiful summers squash andi am running out of ideas. This looks like a great idea and definitely going to make this recipe. Love the small squash for the 2 year old.
Thanks for your lovely recipes
I made a similar version of this dish using ground turkey, leftover cornbread, sautéed green chilies, onions, mushrooms and after de seeding the inside I chopped up the squash I scooped out to create a vessel to hold my mixture. I seasoned with garlic, salt and pepper. Mixed everything together and placed it back in the squash, topped with cheese and baked for 15 minutes. Phenomenal taste and very hardy!
Why not include a use/recipe for the innards that are scooped out? We don’t like to waste food.
Who said anything about waste? You’re more than welcome to eat the seeds you scoop out.
I don’t throw it away. With summer squash (patty pan, zucchini, & crookneck) I add into the meat/tomato mixture. With winter squash, I scoop seeds out, dry them in my toaster oven, & put out for birds. I want to try a Delicata squash, and a banana squash this fall, too. I’m not sure I would try with acorn squash, though.
Why would you throw it away? I just diced it up and stirred it back into the stuffing.
The meal was delicious. The timing was so wrong. Let’s start with the top: 10 minute prep. Really? I guess that means 10 minutes to stuff the squash. Really? It took us one hour from the time I turned on the heat to get the water boiling to par-boil the squash until I was able to put the dish in the oven. And, that is with all ingredients on the counter and my husband helping with the chopping and stirring. The recipe states 35 minutes for cooking. According to the math in the directions 13 minutes (max) are devoted to cooking with 15-20 minutes set aside for par-boiling the squash. That sum of 33 is close to the 35 but water does not boil in two minutes. As such it took 1:30 minutes from start to finish. And let’s not forgot the time needed to cool the squash. We doused it in cold water, a suggestion not mentioned in the recipe, which left us wondering if that was even a viable option. Prep time: 60 minutes.
Personally, I always use my steamer instead of boiling vegetables, especially if I have to stuff them. I find it cooks the vegetable but it’s less likely to fall apart. YMMV. I realize that’s not what the recipe calls for (and I hear you about how long it takes water to boil) but just a thought for the future.
Another great recipe from you. I loved the suggestion to parboil the patty pan first. The fresh herbs plus cheese are perfect additions. Will be making this again and again.
Thanks so much, Inge, I’m happy you enjoyed it!
Is this squash in skin edible after all of this preparation, or is it just the bowl to hold the meat? These odd looking things I have from my CSA do not look like they would be edible, no matter how they are cooked, without peeling them, first.
I am worried about all of the tedious work of making this recipe and then finding no one, including me, will eat the vegetable part. I wonder if just putting the meat mixture on a nice Italian bread as a sandwich would be better, without the yellow thing.
Hi Susanne, absolutely! The squash softens up and you scoop the flesh out along with the spoonfuls of meat.
Patty pan squash are summer squash. The peel is definitely edible after cooking, just as a zucchini squash skin is. Just a different shape! They’re one of my favorite summer squash.
Just made this… it is fabulous! The herbs I used were tarragon, thyme, basil and parsley…
Fantastic, Amy, so glad you enjoyed it, thank you!
This looks beautiful and soooo delicious! I made some stuffed courgettes a few days before and it was very tasty too.
Thanks, bakeaffairs! Mmmmm, I love stuffed courgettes, too!
This looks and sounds wonderful! I’m a big fan of squash of every kind.