Slow Cooker Stuffed Squash

Wednesday, November 3, 2021
Slow Cooker Stuffed Squash is an all-in-one easy meal filled with meat and rice.

These can be stuffed with so many variations from Middle Eastern flavors, Italian, Mexican and more with all our suggestions below.

Our basic recipes are super easy on how to make stuffed squash and we have several tips to make a perfect meal.

Squash is low in calories and there are even some variations for a vegetarian stuffed squash below and you can use green, yellow, Mexican or Kusa any variety of squash will do well.

With just a few ingredients the stuffing can make a new meal every time you make this dish.

Even if you don't have a slow cooker, we have other cooking methods below to get this meal on your tables quickly.

Stuffed squash can be made in the oven, stovetop, instant pot, or slow-cooked like we have for you today.

We also have an easy Zucchini Bisquick Bread Stick recipe that will go perfectly with this meal that we would love for you to try.

Scroll down to print off all our stuffing recipe ideas.



stuffed squash with rice and meat







slow cooker stuffed squash on the white plate with a fork and  cloth tied napkin



Different Flavors



Depending on the meat you use or vegetables you can determine the spices to add.


I like to use a combination of allspice and a dash of cinnamon for lamb meat and use ground beef with Italian seasoning and garlic for an Italian style.


The filling can be adjusted to your own ethnic flavors by just adding the same seasonings you are used to with any meats you cook.



hollowed out zucchini or yellow squash with stuffing mixture in the bowl




Some Ingredients You Will Need


  • ground lamb, hamburger, or turkey
  • raw quick-cooking rice or regular rice cooked
  • fresh minced garlic
  • dried basil
  • cayenne pepper to taste
  • granulated garlic powder
  • dry basil
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • cayenne pepper
  • fresh basil leaf chopped
  • allspice
  • tomato paste
  • fresh plum tomatoes
  • water or chicken broth
  • white or red wine
  • zucchini dark green, yellow or green squash



squash stuffed with rice and meat with tomato



Meats You Can Use

  1. ground beef with Italian seasoning and garlic
  2. ground turkey or chicken with any of the seasoning suggestions
  3. lamb with allspice, cinnamon, or 7 spice seasoning
  4. ground pork (barbecue seasoning or sauce)
  5. a combination of beef and pork Cajun seasonings
  6. Italian loose sausage with Italian seasoning
  7. seafood with lemon pepper, garlic



squash with the middles hollowed out for stuffing



Vegetarian Stuffed

  • diced tomatoes
  • peppers
  • onion
  • mushrooms
  • cubed eggplant
  • olives
  • asparagus
  • diced carrots
  • shaved shredded cabbage



sauce on top of stuffed squash



Other Stuffing Suggestions

  • use the scooped out zucchini with bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, and any kind of olives
  • add Italian sausage, tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, and sliced peppers 
  • add shaved meats like pork or steak with onions, sauce, any kinds of melted cheese, and hot sauce
  • diced boneless cooked chicken breasts, tomato sauce, sprinkled with bread crumbs topped with mozzarella cheese
  • shrimp, parmesan, tomato sauce, garlic, mozzarella (or use another mild fish)
  • buffalo chicken using tenders, buffalo sauce, shredded cheddar ( you can add rice also and black beans)
  • white canned beans, rice, tomato sauce, and mozzarella
  • chicken with bacon, peppers, onions, cheddar, mushrooms, rice, and use a chicken gravy



squash stuffed in the slow cooker



Cooking Methods

  • Stovetop: use a dutch oven simmer for around an hour until the squash is soft and meat is cooked
  • Oven: bake at 350 degrees covered for the first 30 minutes then undercover for another 30 minutes top with more sauce if it begins to dry out
  • Instant Pot: Add 1 cup of water to the bottom, set on pressure cooker mode for 40 minutes
  • Slow Cooker: place on high for 4 hours, low 4 to 6 hours



sliced yellow squash



Tips

  • Do not cut through the bottom of the squash
  • Use a melon ball scoop, a small teaspoon to hollow them out or even for whole squash use an apple corer to get the centers out 
  • if you like squash firmer cook the meats first and reduce cooking times
  • instant rice works the best raw
  • I use  raw fast cooking rice however if using long grain regular rice I cook it first al dente
  • any color squash works great
  • use the inner middles hollowed out for Zucchini bread and other desserts



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More Squash Recipes To Try



Zucchini Pizza Crust


Zucchini Rollatini


Zucchini Fritters




Easy Dinner Recipe



Using a slow cooker for making stuffed squash will cook perfectly without standing over a hot stove and perfect for the busy homemakers.


We just love the different stuffings you can use to change these from middle eastern flavors to a Mexican recipe, seasoned Italian style by just getting a little creative with using the ingredients and styles your family loves..


Don't forget to read all my tips on how to make this simple slow cooker stuffed squash made easy.



Slow Cooker Stuffed Squash

Slow Cooker Stuffed Squash
Yield: 12
Author: Claudia Lamascolo
Prep time: 25 MinCook time: 3 HourTotal time: 3 H & 25 M
This squash has a middle eastern spiced flair that's hollowed out and stuffed with a meat and rice mixture. An easy slow cooker meal bursting with flavor.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb of ground beef, lamb, or turkey
  • 8 to 10 small and variety of squash IE: zucchini, yellow or green squash, Mexican striped or Kusa ( a middle eastern variety light green)
  • 1 cup of raw quick-cooking rice or use 1 cup cooked regular long-grain rice al dente
  • 1 teaspoon of minced garlic
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 teaspoon allspice
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon dry basil
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • Optional: 2 sprigs of freshly chopped mint and 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 small can of tomato paste
  • enough water to just cover the squash
  • 1 small can (12 ounces) diced tomatoes
  • Add 1/2 cup white wine.

Instructions

  1. Wash and cut the stem off the squash then slice it lengthwise or leave whole hollowed-out see notes
  2. Note: use a small small, melon ball scoop or) apple corer for removing the center of the whole squash) make a nice hollowed-out well leaving the bottom in tack for stuffing.
  3.  ( save the  leftover centers you've scooped out for zucchini bread)
  4. In a small bowl mix the rice,  garlic, spices, dried basil, mint (not the basil leaf), raw meat, and half the small can of diced tomatoes in the bowl.
  5. Stuff the open-faced or hollowed-out squash with the meat mixture.
  6. Place stacked in the slow cooker.
  7. Mix the tomato paste, rest of the diced tomatoes, with wine or use chicken broth.
  8. Pour into the slow cooker.
  9. Add the bay leaf,
  10. Cover set the slow cooker on high for around 2 to 3 hours or until the squash is soft.

Notes:

Cooking Methods

  • Stovetop: use a dutch oven simmer for around an hour until the squash is soft and meat is cooked
  • Oven: bake at 350 degrees covered for the first 30 minutes then undercover for another 30 minutes top with more sauce if it begins to dry out
  • Instant Pot: Add 1 cup of water to the bottom, set on pressure cooker mode for 40 minutes
  • Slow Cooker: place on high for 4 hours, low 4 to 6 hours



Tips

  • Do not cut through the bottom of the squash
  • Use a teaspoon to hollow them out if you like squash firmer cook the meats first and reduce cooking times
  • instant rice works the best raw
  • I use raw fast cooking rice however if using long grain regular rice I cook it first al dente
  • any color squash works great
  • use the inner middles hollowed out for Zucchini bread and other desserts


Other Stuffing Suggestions

  • use the scooped out zucchini with bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, and any kind of olives
  • add Italian sausage, tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, and sliced peppers 
  • add shaved meats like pork or steak with onions, sauce, any kinds of melted cheese, and hot sauce
  • diced boneless cooked chicken breasts, tomato sauce, sprinkled with bread crumbs topped with mozzarella cheese
  • shrimp, parmesan, tomato sauce, garlic, mozzarella (or use another mild fish)
  • buffalo chicken using tenders, buffalo sauce, shredded cheddar ( you can add rice also and black beans)
  • white canned beans, rice, tomato sauce, and mozzarella
  • chicken with bacon, peppers, onions, cheddar, mushrooms, rice, and use a chicken gravy



Nutrition Facts

Calories

184.32

Fat (grams)

9.07

Sat. Fat (grams)

3.37

Carbs (grams)

7.23

Fiber (grams)

1.11

Net carbs

6.12

Sugar (grams)

1.85

Protein (grams)

15.89

Sodium (milligrams)

85.50

Cholesterol (grams)

50.81
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Italian, American



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More Slow Cooker Recipes


Slow Cooker Asian Chicken and Broccoli

Slow Cooker Best Ever Boston Butt

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white plate with yellow stuffed cooked squash


Disclosure: This recipe was originally shared in 2010. It was edited and re-published in 2021.

27 comments

  1. These stuffed zucchini look so special and delish! Preparing them in a crockpot sounds very healthy too.

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  2. Great recipe. I have never thought of doing zucchini in the crock. Brilliant! I'll have to look for those liners. What a time saver.

    As for the stuffed Kusa, Ted told me about it. An old Lebanese recipe. He described the squash just as you say, not a zucchini, not a yellow squash, not a cuke but somewhere in the middle. He said the middle would be cleaned out and the stuffing pushed into the whole squash. I recreated the recipe years ago and the result was pretty good but had to use small zucchini since I had no clue what I was looking for by way of Kusa??

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  3. Gorgeous stuffed zucchini dish. Great flavors. You made your aunt proud for sure.

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  4. deliciopus dish ,your zuchinni are full of flavors!

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  5. Great zucchini recipe. We can NEVER have enough of those. Thanks to your Aunt Esther!

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  6. What a delicious stuffed zucchini! Love the filling! Your Aunt would be proud. Such a good idea to make them in your crock pot.

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  7. Great way to honor her - and to use all those great zucchinis. This is literally stuffed with some great combination of ingredients.

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  8. A delicious dish, love the flavour profile - it seems almost Middle Eastern. A wonderful way to remember your aunt :)

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  9. Claudia, you know how much I love cooking in the crock pot, and this one looks like a great reason to break it out again from the storage cabinet.

    Très magnifique et bon appétit!
    CCR
    =:~)

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  10. the stuffed zucchini look wonderful, love the additions of allspice and cinnamon!

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  11. What a fantastic crockpot recipe! Going to put this on my list of crockpot recipes (which I'm always looking for new ones)

    The zuch's held together so well too.

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  12. What a lovely tribute to your aunt. You've reproduced a dish with happy memories, and your pictures do the dish justice. :)

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  13. So lovely. Family recipes are simply amazing.

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  14. I'm sure that you are a fabulous cook as your aunt, great recipe!

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  15. Nice one Claudia, your aunt is smiling down on you for sharing this one. I must say great ingenuity during a remodel, I hate being under construction!

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  16. This is a healthy and yummy family recipe with a very good looking stuffed zucchini :)

    All the best,

    Gera

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  17. That looks fabulous. I need to start using my crock pot more.

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  18. Well...here's one more reason for me to look forward to getting my crock pot. I'm just waiting to get to my new place and I'll be slow cooking everything. LOL

    Ciao for now,
    Claudia

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  19. Wonderful tribute and a great way to ease into fall with the spices you have used in the sauce!

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  20. Great recipe for a crockpot! And a lovely tribute to your Aunt.

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  21. Such a wonderful post...your aunt most have been a wonderful cook. These are beautiful and seems that the crock pot did a pretty good job :)

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  22. Allspice and cinnamon - loving his very much. It's wonderful to recreate what was given to you. And in turn - give it to others,

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  23. I like this Italian dish, it's very good. aubergines are a very versatile vegetable and go well with any type of filling. Well done

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  24. Love the idea of making these in the slow cooker - the squash becomes so tender!

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  25. The perfect veggie option! And so great to make it in the slow cooker.

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  26. I really loved how flavorful it is!! So easy to make, too!

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  27. Stuffed squash is one of my favourite autumn comfort foods and this slow cooker version looks delicious.

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Remember to use the search option for a recipe you're looking for and thanks for all your kind words and support. We love our readers all the best Claudia