My mom has these beautiful patty pan squash in her garden that
have grown to nearly the size of a baseball glove. Actually, my mom likened
them to the size of my 2-year old nephew’s face, but since most of you don’t
know my darling Eli, let’s just say for argument’s sake they’re large.
They are delicious on their own but we wanted to try something different other than sautéing them again. Last night I actually modified my morning glory muffins by adding in some shredded squash for extra nutrients. You can’t even taste the difference! But tonight the squash is getting stuffed.
Stuffed Patty Pan Squash
Yield: 4-6 servings
Ingredients:
1 super-large patty pan squash (or 2 normal-sized ones)
1 lb ground turkey
1 med size onion, chopped
1 med size red bell pepper, chopped
1 pkg roasted garlic and pecan rice blend
golden raisins
spices of choice (I used garlic powder, oregano, paprika,
grated lemon, poultry seasoning, salt and pepper)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375°.
Cut tops off the squash and remove seeds. Place in a casserole dish and bake
for 10 minutes, or until soft. Lids of the squash can be on or off the bottoms,
it doesn’t matter. Be careful not to let them burn or become wrinkled.
Cook rice blend (or regular rice if you wish) according to
package directions, using a little less water so that it under cooks slightly,
adding in the golden raisins at the beginning of the cooking process so they
plump.
Meanwhile, sauté the ground turkey with the onion and pepper,
adding in the spices as you go. Cook until the turkey is browned all the way
through and season to taste. When both the rice and turkey are finished,
combine the two in one pan and stir so they blend together.
By this time, the squash should be done par-baking. Remove the
squash from the oven and fill with turkey and rice.
Return to the oven for 20-25 minutes, or until squash is
cooked through. You can test this by piercing the top of the squash with a
fork. If it enters and exits easily, it’s dinner time!
