Stuffed summer squash with pesto infused quinoa and roasted cherry tomatoes

This is a great dish to prepare for a dinner party as it can be made in advance and then warmed in the oven for 20 minutes or so. It goes really well with an arugula salad and balsamic dressing.

I made the pesto for this batch with Parmesan, for a vegan version go here.

Any leftover pesto can be stored in a jar, just cover with a layer of olive oil and keep in the fridge, it will last a few weeks or longer.

1 cup quinoa, soaked over night in filtered water

½ cup pine nuts, divided

Extra virgin olive oil

2 medium yellow onions, cut in ¾ inch cubes

Sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

3 cups grape or cherry tomatoes

2 cups basil leaves, lightly packed

2 cloves garlic

Parmesan cheese, about 2oz

Juice of half a lemon

Variety of large round summer squash; like 8 ball, Avocado or patty pan.

Drain and rinse quinoa, place in a small pot and add 1 ½ cups of boiling water and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

Warm a large skillet over medium heat and add 1/4 cup of the pine nuts. Shake pan and reduce heat to low. Stirring nuts constantly until they are fragrant and golden. Remove pine nuts from pan and set aside.

Return skillet to medium heat; add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and onions. Stir every minute or so until onions begin to soften and brown in parts, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low, add salt, pepper and balsamic vinegar and continue cooking for another 4 to 5 minutes or until onions are caramelized and very soft. Remove from heat and set aside.

In the bowl of a food processor, place basil, remaining 1/4 cup pine nuts, garlic and Parmesan, if using. Drizzle in 1/3 cup olive oil, a pinch of salt and pepper and blend until smooth. Scrape down the sides with a spatula, taste for salt and add a squeeze of lemon juice. Blend again, if it’s too thick add a little more olive oil.

Pre heat oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and add cherry tomatoes, 2 tablespoons of olive oil and a large pinch of salt and pepper. Toss, spread out into a single layer and roast for 20 minutes or until they are collapsed and browning in parts. Remove from oven and set aside. Leave oven on.

Lay squash on its side on a cutting board, slice stem end off to create a lid for the stuffing. Sit squash upright, use a small spoon to scoop out the flesh, leaving about 1/3 inch around the edges and bottom. You can keep the squash flesh to use in soup, saute’s or other dishes. Repeat with remaining squash. Place them all on a parchment lined baking tray and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, salt and pepper. Rub oil evenly over and inside each squash and top. Place tops and bottoms cut side down on tray and roast for about 20 minutes or until squash is beginning to brown around edges and flesh is soft but not falling apart. Remove from oven and set aside. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees fahrenheit if you are planing to serve squash.

Place cooked quinoa in a bowl and break apart any clumps with your fingertips. Put pine nuts on a cutting board and gently crush, either using a pestle or rolling pin; you could also roughly chop them. Add to quinoa along with the caramelized onions and a few spoons of pesto; mix well and taste for seasoning. Add more pesto until you get a good green looking quinoa, which should taste delicious. If you have a lot of remaining juice from roasting the cherry tomatoes, then add it to the quinoa, it has so much flavor!

Once the squash are cool enough to handle, hold each one in the palm of your hand and fill half way with quinoa mixture, gently packing it in. Spoon in a few cherry tomatoes. Add more quinoa to fill squash to the top. Place in a baking dish and repeat with remaining squash.

Before putting their tops on evenly distribute the remaining roasted cherry tomatoes; you can also pour over more juice from tomatoes, if you have any extra. Put their tops on and they are ready to go back into the oven for 20 minutes or until warmed through. You can also store them in the fridge or on a warm day enjoy them at room temperature.

Makes about 8 large stuffed squash.