Stuffing Squash

Patty Pan Summer Squash

In my head, squash is any kind of squash. Other than a division between Summer (stuffing or dicing) types and Winter (roasting or pie-making) types of squash, they're interchangeable. I happened to have White Patty Pans, so white patty pan squash are what I stuffed. This is less of a recipe and more of a philosophy... and a way to use up whatever happens to be in the fridge and/or garden.

Remove stem, dice out center leaving a thick shell,
salt the cleaned out squash "shell"

The salt will draw out some moisture,
allow the squash to rest upside-down while you prepare the stuffing.

I hadn't though very much about what to use for stuffing or filling.  But that day I had lots of basil pesto, some leftover grated sheep cheeses, green peas, and a take-away box worth of cooked white rice. That should work.

Already cooked white rice will go quite mushy if you add a little water (and butter) and re-cook it. When it got soft I added several dollops of pesto, the cheese, it was not quite a half cup, and the frozen peas.

Pack it in to the squash shells, and put in a baking pan
with a little water at the bottom of the pan to bake.

Out of the oven
allow to cool a little before garnishing with basil so the basil doesn't wilt.

Easy, Yummy, Stuffed Squash