Pattypan Squash Stuffed With Sausage, Corn, and Rice

Kevin and I checked out the Cobblestone Farmer’s Market in Old Salem for the first time last Saturday (with our friend Bethany, who’s a seasoned Cobblestone-goer with one visit under her belt) and came home with a stellar collection of deliciousness, including cherry tomatoes, bitter melon, lamb sausage, eggs, two Be Nice everything bagels, purple okra (!!!), and pattypan squash. I was particularly pumped about the squash, because I’d been wanting to make a version of a New York Times pattypan squash recipe I tried a couple of years ago.

I modified the recipe a bit based on what we had on hand and was really happy with the way the squash turned out. I’m a big fan of this dish, since it’s easy, fresh, filling, and I love the presentation with each person getting an individual squash to enjoy. Feel free to adjust this recipe based on your taste. It’s hard to go wrong!

Pattypan Squash Stuffed With Sausage, Corn, and Rice

(note: this recipe makes two squash servings)

Ingredients

• 2 large pattypan squashes
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 sausage links, casing removed (I used hot Italian sausage we got from another farmer’s market recently)
• 1/4 cup corn (I used Trader Joe’s frozen roasted corn)
• 1/3 cup rice, cooked (I used Trader Joe’s frozen rice medley)
• 1/3 cup Gruyère cheese, grated
• 1 egg (fresh from the Cobblestone market!)
• 3 tablespoons milk
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and oil a baking dish or casserole large enough to accommodate both pattypan shells.
• Slice the top off the squash and scoop out and discard all seeds.
• Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add the garlic and cook for about 3 minutes.
• Add the sausage (removed from its casing), and cook for another 5 minutes. Add the corn and continue to cook.
• Stir in the cooked rice (for me, that meant microwaving for three minutes — score!).
• Once sausage is fully cooked, remove skillet from heat and stir in cheese. Salt and pepper to taste.
• Fill the pattypan shells with the sausage/corn/rice mixture, and arrange in the baking dish.

• Beat together the egg and milk, season with a little salt, and carefully spoon a little over the mixture in each filled squash. Cover (with a lid to your dish or with aluminum foil if your dish doesn’t have a lid) and place in the oven.
• Bake 40 to 55 minutes (until the squash is tender).
• Enjoy! (We coupled our squash with roasted broccoli and cherry tomatoes, and they worked well together.)