
Last month, my husband’s parents visited us for a few days. We decided to stop by the state farmers market in Raleigh before going to Chapel Hill for the afternoon–the farmers market is HUGE and full of fun local products like muscadine grape slushies and sweet potato syrup. Oh, and there’s the produce too–lots of produce!

As we were strolling through the produce section, my mother-in-law pointed to the pattypan squash and asked what they were.
“They’re pattypan squash! They taste like zucchini.”
“What do you do with them?”
“You can stuff them…”
…and that was all I had. You can stuff them. That’s pretty much the extent of my pattypan squash repertoire. Of course, there are other things you can do with pattypan squash, the rounder, squatter, UFO-looking cousin to zucchini. In fact, you can really use it in any dish where you’d use zucchini. Cut into rounds, it’s perfect for grilling. You can also cut out the stem and flower ends, cut the squash in half, and then cut each half into slices. I did this with a pattypan squash I got from the garden this weekend and I sauteed the slices with long beans and corn (also from the garden!). Summer veggie saute, y’all!

So yes, you can do lots of things with pattypan squash. But it’s still best for stuffing. It’s the perfect shape and the perfect size. Somehow it feels like a wasted opportunity to do anything with a pattypan squash other than stuffing it. Oh sure, it was good in that saute, but it could have been stuffed!
Because the flavor of pattypan squash is so similar to zucchini, you can use just about any zucchini stuffing for pattypan squash too (perhaps Parmesan panko, artichoke hearts, and sun-dried tomatoes?). This particular stuffed pattypan squash recipe has a protein-packed filling consisting of quinoa, fresh corn, and queso fresco. There’s a little bit of chipotle in there too to add some smokiness and heat.
This is what you do with pattypan squash.
Pattypan squash stuffed with a spicy, smoky quinoa and corn filling. If you can't find pattypan squash, use zucchini, 8-ball, or yellow squash instead.
Ingredients
- cooking spray or oil mister
- 6-8 pattypan squash (6 if they're large, 8 if they're smaller)
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 2 tsp. cumin
- 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
- 1 small tomato, diced
- 2 ears of corn, kernels removed
- 1/2 c. vegetable broth
- 1 1/2 c. cooked quinoa (which is about 1/2 c. uncooked)
- 1 chipotle pepper (the canned kind), seeds removed and chopped + 1-2 tsp. adobo sauce from can
- salt and pepper to taste
- 3/4 c. crumbled queso fresco, divided
- 1/4 c. coarsely chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 x 11 baking dish with an oil mister or cooking spray.
- First, hollow out your pattypan squash. Slice off the stem end, then scoop out most of the insides. You want about a quarter-inch shell remaining. Discard as many of the seeds as you can, but reserve 1/2 cup of chopped squash insides. Place the pattypan squash in the baking dish.
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in cumin and oregano and cook 1 minute more. Add reserved squash insides, tomato, and corn and saute for 3 minutes, then stir in broth, quinoa, chipotle pepper, and adobo sauce (1 teaspoon for a milder filling, 2 teaspoons or more if you want it spicier). Continue to cook on medium-high heat until most of the liquid has evaporated. Remove from heat and stir in 1/2 cup of queso fresco and salt and pepper to taste.
- Divide filling into pattypan squash. Pour 1/4 cup of water into bottom of baking dish, then cover dish with aluminum foil. Bake for 20 minutes or until squash is tender. Top with cilantro and remaining queso fresco before serving.
































I’ve never tried it before, and honestly, I’ve never heard of it but I sure like your recipe idea for it.
They are all over the farmers market in Raleigh! I very rarely see them at the grocery store, though.
I’ve never tried pattypan squash before but I’m very curious now! I’ve had a similar recipe bookmarked for a while for a baked tomato stuffed with quinoa, corn, and chiles, but I think I’d like stuffed squash even better!
You should! They taste just like zucchini, but I like the novelty of them because they come in different colors and shapes.
Gorgeus, delicious dish! I love the pretty colors of the purple beans and yellow squash. Can’t think of the last time I picked up a pattypan squash, but I’ll be making this soon!
Thank you! Pattypan squash is the same price as zucchini at the farmers market & since I’m a big fan of novelty, I find myself buying them instead of the more boring squash.
Is it weird that I think that this squash is Adorable?
It is TOTALLY adorable.
These pattypan squashes are so adorable. I am so happy to see those purple red long beans again.
See, I told you the long beans would make another appearance!
Well, this looks delicious. I always thought you were just supposed to “look” at these, not actually eat them!
Ha! No, you can eat them and they are tasty.
Cute! I love pattypan squashes
I have yet to try stuffing them though – I love the idea!
That’s so funny, because I had no idea what to do with them other than stuffing them.
My Pattypan is flowering and then the next day the flower is on the ground, getting annoyed!! Looks really good, will have to try this recipe!
That’s happening to mine too! This was the only squash I got from about 20 flowers. I wonder if it’s the heat?
This made me laugh….loved this post and the recipe too!
Thank you! And it’s spicy, so you’d like it!
I tried my first pattypan squash last summer – the main reason I bought it was because its just so darn cute! But I also like to have different options from zucchini in the summer. I love the sounds of the stuffing you made – great use of summer veggies!
They are SO cute! I love all the different colors they come in too. Even though I think they taste exactly like zucchini.
I’ve never heard of pattypan squash before today. I love zucchini but wouldn’t have thought to stuff them either. I need to try this to change up our squash dishes!
If you have a farmers market nearby, I bet they have lots of pattypan squash right now! At ours, it’s the same price as zucchini and yellow squash.
What a cute squash! Your recipe looks delicious!
Thank you! And yes, they’re darling little squashes, right?
I’ve used them in a saute before, but they’re firmer than I’d like so I usually opt for zucchini when sauteeing. But now I want to try them stuffed!!
They are made for stuffing!
They’re the perfect size and shape. And just about any stuffing for zucchini will work in a pattypan.
I have two of them and didn’t know what to do with it thanks for giving me something to do with ingredients I already have in my house.
I’m glad I could help–I hope you like it!
I just printed this and it is going to be on the dinner table tonight.
I hope you enjoyed it!
Hi!
I just tried making the recipe and WOW is it hot. I relooked at the recipe and realize you wrote “1 canned chipotle pepper, seeded and chopped + 1-2 tsp. adobo sauce from can” and in my speed reading I thought that meant 1 can of chipolte peppers, not one pepper. Tasting it now I think you must have meant just one pepper. Perhaps you could clarify this in your yummy recipe!
I’m sorry about that! A whole can of peppers would definitely be spicy! Yes, by 1 canned chipotle pepper, I meant a single pepper. I’ll go in and reword that to say “1 chipotle pepper, from a can.”