Farro and Veggie Stuffed Pattypan Squash

I’ve promised you guys this recipe for a while now.  It’s a fun one.  And it’s meatless too for all you vegetarians out there.  At the SOWA Farmer’s Market that Tim and I went to a couple of weekends ago, we purchased pattypan squash (which I’ve dubbed alien squash).  In my mind, any recipe where I get to try a new vegetable makes it fun.  Plus this recipe is one we made up ourselves, which by default makes it even more fun, amiright?

Ingredients

• 4  pattypan squash
• 1/2 cup farro
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 4 oz. mushrooms, sliced
• 2 jalapeno peppers, de-seeded and diced
• 1/2 yellow onion, diced
• 2 gloves garlic, minced
• Crumbled feta for topping
• 1-2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• Vegetable broth
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Spices to taste – thyme and oregano

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Combine the broth, de-seeded and diced jalapenos, half of the diced onion (only 1/4 cup), and farro.  Season with salt and pepper, then cook per the farro package directions.  Note: I buy my farro at Trader Joe’s – it’s super cheap and easy to make.
3. Cut the tops off of the pattypans.  Scoop out the inside squash, dice, then pat dry to blot out excess moisture.
4. Bring water (enough to cover the pattypans) to a boil, then submerge the outer part of the pattypans into the water.  Make sure to include both the “cup” and the tops.
5. In the meantime, combine the diced red pepper, sliced mushrooms, the rest of the onion, and diced squash in a bowl.
6. Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat.  Add the veggies and garlic, then cook until tender.
7. Once complete, combine the cooked veggie mixture with the cooked farro mixture and add remaining spices.  Fill the pattypan cups with the mixture, top with feta, then cook at 375 degrees for 15 minutes.  Finally, broil for two minutes or until cheese turns golden brown.
8. Enjoy!

I just loved this meal.  It was different, nutritious, and it was right up our alley.  I loved that both types of peppers, along with the outside of the squash, added a slight crunch to this meal.  It was a nice contrast to the farro, mushrooms, and other ingredients.  I have also been on a huge farro kick lately.  It’s a nice change-up from brown rice or quinoa, with high fiber and protein values.  I put it in the same category as barley, bulgur wheat, etc.

I had never seen a pattypan squash in my life before stumbling upon these at SOWA, but I quickly learned that the only difference from your regular ole yellow squash is just the shape!  There’s absolutely no difference in taste, but clearly this distinct vegetable shape is way cooler.  So maybe that’s why it tasted better to me.  Cooking these kind of reminded me of cooking stuffed peppers or our stuffed zucchini boats.  Perhaps next I’ll try stuffed tomatoes.  Any other “stuffed” recipe ideas floating around out there?

If you do try this recipe, be forewarned that we had a ton of leftover mixture using the amounts listed above.  You could try cutting down the amounts OR you could turn it into leftover lunch salads for the rest of your week like I did.  The mixture was tasty enough to eat on its own.  It’s about being resourceful, people.

Yum.

What’s the most unique or unusual vegetable you’ve ever eaten, stumbled across, or cooked with before?

I hope everyone will take a moment to remember those lost in 9/11 today.