Mushroom-Stuffed Ronde de Nice Squash

Makes 6 stuffed ronde de nice squash. Recipe by Katie Pollock Estes.

Ingredients
6 ronde de nice squash
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
½ large fennel bulb, chopped small
2 pounds mixed mushrooms (any kind)
1 cup grape tomatoes, quartered
1 cup cooked white rice
3 tablespoons chopped basil
Salt and pepper to taste
Shredded fresh Parmesan cheese to taste

To Prepare
Heat oven to 350ºF. De-seed the squash, cutting out some zucchini flesh if necessary to make a cavern. In a medium pan, heat the olive oil. Add the garlic, fennel, mushrooms and tomato. Sauté until mushrooms are tender. Stir in the rice, basil, salt, pepper and cheese. Stuff each zucchini with a scoop of the filling. Place in a baking pan, cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes. Uncover, and bake for 15 to 20 minutes longer.