stuffed patty pan squash

You'll recall that I recently had a fascination with stuffed peppers. I've moved on. To squash. 

Patty Pan squash are little, yellow, spaceship-looking orbs. They've shown up in our weekly produce delivery for a couple weeks in a row now, so I've been thinking about creative things to do with them. This meal came together based on what I had in the fridge and pantry. It's strange how often those are the ones that turn out the best! I'll definitely make this again. Here's what I did:

Stuffed Patty Pan Squash

Serves 2-3

olive oil

6 patty pan squash

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 handfuls of spinach

1/2 c. ricotta

1 egg

2 Tbsp. parmesan, grated

2 Tbsp. fresh basil, chopped

1/2 tsp. fresh oregano, chopped

1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 c. tomato sauce

2 oz. mozzarella, grated

Wash squash. Drop in a large pot of boiling water. Reduce heat and cook covered 15 minutes, or until tender. Drain and allow to cool. Slice the top off each squash and scoop out pulp, leaving 1/4" shell (you can slice a little off of the bottom as well to make a flat surface so the squash will sit flat if desired). Chop the pulp.

Cook onion and garlic in olive oil over medium heat until translucent. Add spinach and squash and cook 1 minute. Let cool.

Combine egg and ricotta in a medium bowl. Stir in parmesan, basil, oregano, and spinach mixture.

Arrange the squash shells in an oiled shallow baking pan. Fill shells with filling. Top each with a generous spoonful of sauce and top with grated mozzarella. Bake uncovered in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes.

Similar to the stuffed peppers I featured a few weeks ago, a spanish or mexican twist on stuffed squash (I'm thinking polenta, black beans, salsa...) would be very tasty as well. Let me know what you think!