My Pet Chicken Blog

I love squash. This year I’m growing the small pattypan variety, because they begin producing so much earlier! I love the little flying saucer shapes and diminutive size; they are just the right size for a single (generous) serving. The skin is very tender, and the flesh seems slightly sweeter and more buttery than zucchini or yellow summer squash, but they can otherwise be treated more or less the same way. You can stuff these beauties in a variety of ways—there are all sorts of stuffed pattypan squash recipes floating around—but since we always have so many delicious eggs at our house, I decided to see if I could make a quiche-type filling, using the squash as the “crust.”

Yum! This light green squash is “Peter Pan,” but we’re also growing dark green “Starship” and bright yellow “Sunburst” varieties.

Our household has declared this stuffed pattypan squash recipe a success! It’s a quick, delicious lunch that is also beautiful on the plate. You can use your favorite “quiche” fillings. In our house, that tends to be whatever we have on hand: spinach, broccoli, ham, tomatoes, leftover mixed veggies, avocado, chunks of cream cheese, whatever. In these photos, I used lightly caramelized onions and cheddar.

First, go ahead and hollow out your chosen squash.  Leave at least a quarter inch thickness so the structure will support the filling! Then cut up your veggies, if needed:

Then, you may want to lightly cook whatever veggies you’re using for your version. You can put them in raw in a large quiche, but these are small and won’t bake very long. For that reason, I went ahead and caramelized the onions.  Shred your cheese, too; we like it finely shredded. Although I tend to prefer Swiss cheese for quiches, here I’ve used cheddar:

Put a little bit of your cheese and veggies into the squash:

Now, mix up your eggs. I use one egg per squash–of course, I choose small squashes that are about the right size for a single egg–and then I whisk in a little milk, nutmeg and salt. If you have herbs in your garden, you might ike to add fresh herbs, too. (I threw in some fresh thyme.) Pour the egg mixture on top of your fillings, and then sprinkle with a little paprika for color. Fill your squash to just below the edge, so you don’t overflow:

Bake on a sheet in a preheated 350 degree oven until the egg mixture is puffed and done. (When I cook these in our toaster oven, I usually cook at a lower temperature for the same amount of time, 300 or so.) Mine take about 20 minutes or so to finish; it may be a bit more or less depending on the size of your squash.

Before serving, I garnished with more onions. Garnish with whatever you like, though! At this time of year, I sometimes like to garnish with oregano or marjoram in flower. You might also fry up a squash blossom or two.

Enjoy!

It’s perfect when the squash is al dente and the eggs are firm but moist.

This is a great easy lunch you can make entirely from the bounty of your own yard and garden. Plus, it looks especially beautiful. Even little kids may be tempted to try something like this, that looks as if it’s been baked in Cinderella’s carriage.

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ENTER TO WIN

What would you name this dish if you were trying to get it to appeal to kids? What would you name it for adults–is there something better than “Quiche stuffed pattypan squash”? If you can’t think of a name, please share your favorite quiche fillings/techniques.  One winner will be selected randomly and will receive a hand made Stuffed Chicken Pillow from My Pet Chicken. The winner must be a US resident, and will be contacted by email. You must respond promptly to receive your prize!

If you are on Facebook, you can read there about another way to enter (and you can enter both ways for an extra chance to win!).

Contest ends July 6, 2012.