Whatcha Makin' Now?: Stuffed Yellow Squash

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Thursday, September 13, 2012

Stuffed Yellow Squash


“Chelsea, take this home and stuff it with something.”


That’s what I heard from a co-worker referencing a very large yellow squash in our lunch room in the ‘free to a good home’ area.  Seriously, the thing was huge. 

After consulting the ladies in my department I felt comfortable making stuffed squash for dinner that night.  I’ve made stuffed zucchini so I figured it would be kind of similar too.

Here is what I came up with…

Stuffed Yellow Squash

1 Yellow Squash
½ lb to 1 lb ground beef
1 small or medium onion, chopped
1 can stewed tomatoes
¼ cup parmesan cheese, plus more for topping
½ cup shredded cheese, plus more for topping
1 ½ cups Italian Bread Crumbs, plus more for topping
Salt & Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Prepare the Squash: Cut off the ends of the squash.  Cook in the microwave on high for 5 to 10 minutes until knife goes through skin easily.  Remove from microwave with tongs or a hot pad.  Slice the long way, and then into sections….remember that you’re making ‘dishes’ to put all the filling.  Using a spoon, discard the seeds and stringy pieces (looks very much like the inside of a pumpkin).  Then, using an ice cream scoop, scrape the ‘meat’ from the skin of the squash and place in a bowl – you’ll later add it to the filling.  Place squash skins/dishes in a 9 x 13 pan and set aside. 



Prepare the Filling: Brown hamburger with onion and drain grease.  Remove from heat and add in the squash ‘meat’, tomatoes, parmesan and shredded cheese, and bread crumbs*.  Toss to combine.  Scoop the mixture into the prepared squash skins/dishes.  Pack down lightly.  You’ll most likely have extra filling; just pour into the 9 x 13 pan as it will not affect the baking.   Sprinkle with a little more parmesan, shredded cheese, and bread crumbs.  Bake @ 425 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown on top.  (I like mine crispy!)

*After the fact I thought maybe the bread crumbs should just be sprinkled on top, but I liked adding them to the mixture.  It made the mixture thicker and added more flavor.  You could just sprinkle the bread crumbs on top and use only ½ cup if you prefer.   


I was very pleased with the outcome!  I loved the texture and the and the touch sweetness from the squash.  I had leftovers for lunch today and they were just as good.  The ladies at work said you could pretty much put anything in the filling – spinach, peas, bacon, mushrooms were just a few of the suggestions. 


Thanks for stopping by!