Stuffed Squash Spaceships

I love squash! Zucchini, Spaghetti, Butternut, Crookneck, all squash. In fact, zucchini with a little Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top was one of the first veggies I ate post weight loss surgery. It was soothing and went down really well, still my go-to food when I'm not feeling well. Squash is probably the most versatile vegetable there are endless ways to prepare it from grilling, sauteing, roasting it. It's my pasta replacement, a mainstay in casseroles, a side dish, even a salad ingredient. You can always find a few in my Farmer's Market haul. This Saturday, I spotted these beauties called Sunbursts related to the Pattypan. The look sort of like spaceships (remember when I was abducted by aliens.) True story. OK... back to the recipe...

You can chop them up and use them in any recipe that calls for the more easily found crookneck summer squash but these four were so close in size (tea cup-ish) I just had to stuff them.

Shelly's Stuffed Starburst Squash

4 Starburst (Pattypan) Squash
1/2 Yellow Onion, chopped
2-3 Green Onions, diced
1/2 cup Cooked Sausage, crumbled
1/2 cup Ricotta Cheese
1/2 teaspoon Oregano
Salt and a few twists Black Pepper to taste
2 Tablespoons Parmesan Cheese

Remove the stem of the squash and using a teaspoon scoop out some of the inside flesh (don't discard it), scoop enough out to create a small cavity. Place the hollowed squash on a microwave safe dish and nuke for 2-3 minutes till just starting to get fork tender. Set aside.

Saute the onions and chopped squash middles till golden. Add cooked sausage (or cooked ground beef, ground turkey, ground chicken or skip the meat for a vegetarian option, I might add more onion) and seasonings.

Remove from heat. Add ricotta and mix till well combined. Fill the hollowed squash with the filling and place in a Pyrex baking dish that has been sprayed with non-stick spray or a drizzle of olive oil.

Sprinkle tops of filled squash with Parmesan.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. You can serve as is or as a variation warm some marinara sauce and spoon over the top.

If you can't find these Starbursts. You can use the same filling to stuff spaghetti squash I've done that before.

More Eggface Italian Healthy Eats

I had a great birthday weekend filled with yummy foods like this (and a few other delicious things I'll blog about this week) and despite really muggy weather and a bit of a headache (probably weather related) it was wonderful. Thank you for all the sweet messages on Facebook and email. My brother came out for a visit. Here's a photo we took with my Mum...