Stuffed Patty Pan Squash

Posted by Julia on Jul 21st 2025

Stuffed Patty Pan Squash

Here's a delicious way to use a few elements from our seasonal CSA shares this week: stuffed patty pan squash! It's easily customizable (make it vegan by omitting the meats and adding crumbled tofu or chopped mushrooms). It's a different way to eat summer squash that presents as a beautiful side dish as well! 


Patty pan squash is part of the summer squash family - think zucchini - but in a cute, pumpkin form, or as my son calls it - UFO squash! This squash can be eaten with the skin on since it's thin and tender. If left to grow on the plant too long, it'll grow giant seeds, just like a zucchini, so it's always recommended to pick them before they get any bigger than 3" across! The patty pan squash in our seasonal shares this week are just the right size for this recipe! And if you run out of patty pan squash, you can use any other type of summer squash as a substitute! Enjoy!

stuffed patty pan
What You'll Need:


  • 4-6 patty pan squash* (sizes usually vary so the smaller they are, the more you'll need)
  • 6 slices TC Farm bacon or 1lb Italian Sausage (I preferred the sausage over the bacon but either or both together is great)
  • 1/2 cup diced onion*
  • 1/2 cup fine chopped button mushrooms*
  • 1/2 cup panko or Italian bread crumbs
  • 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (I used pre-grated and it still tasted good)
  • 1/4- 1/2 cup chicken broth
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley*
  • shredded cheese (optional)
  • olive oil
  • salt and pepper to taste

*included in our Seasonal CSA shares this week only!


Directions:


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Wash and dry the patty pan squash then slice off the stems and the blossom end so that the squash sits flat.

3. Cut the squash evenly in half across the middle and then using a small spoon or melon baller, scrape and reserve the centers of the squash halves. They should not be any thicker than 1/2" or else the ratio of squash to stuffing will not work well together.

4. Lay the halves on a lined baking sheet, drizzle olive oil and then salt and pepper each piece. Bake for 15 minutes.

5. Fine chop the onions, button mushrooms and the reserved squash bits. I also added one finely diced carrot and a handful of chopped baby spinach to get more veggies into our family's diet. A food processor comes in handy here- you can just add everything but the spinach and process together.

6. Slice the bacon into 1/2" pieces then fry that up in a skillet. When the bacon starts to crisp up, add all the veggie/mushroom mix and saute. If you decide to use collards (also in the seasonal share) or spinach like I did, add those in after the veggies start to get tender. Add a little salt and pepper to the mix.

7. If using just Italian sausage, cook up this up and then remove from the skillet. Add extra olive oil to cook the vegetables as in the previous step.

8. Once fully cooked (10-15 minutes on the stove top), remove from the heat and let it cool down for 5 minutes.

9. Put mixture into a small mixing bowl and add the bread crumbs/panko, grated parmesan, and chopped parsley. Mix well and then add the chicken broth to moisten the mixture. 

10. Time to stuff the squash! Don't be shy- overfilling is recommended. I topped my Italian sausage stuffing with 3 cheese Italian and it was delicious. You can top with any cheese you like- it boosts the flavor immensely.

11. Bake loosely covered with tin foil for 15-20 minutes or until the squash is tender to the poke of a fork. 

12. Optional: broil for the last 5 minutes to crisp up the topping/cheese. I didn't do this but others have said they enjoy the crisp texture in contrast with the tender summer squash.

13. Serve as a beautiful side dish with your favorite grilled proteins (ours was TC Farm sirloin steaks) or as a light lunch (also did this with leftovers the next day- just reheat in an air fryer- yum!) 


Full disclosure: after I stuffed the patty pan squashes (I used only 4), I cooked up 1/2 pound of TC Farm Italian sausage and added it to the leftover stuffing mix. This was enough to fill 4 halves of yellow summer squash and I definitely preferred the extra flavorful Italian sausage to the bacon mix. This also makes it into a complete meal on its own and is a great way to use up all the summer squashes that are widely available at this time of year!