Stuffed Zucchini
Original Recipe
Notes
Keep in mind that zucchini size can vary greatly, and you may need to make adjustments based on the size of yours. If you can't find large zucchini, feel free to substitute 3 medium zucchini. If your zucchini are extra large, you may want to increase the amount of meat and cheese.
You might end up with extra filling that doesn't fit in your shells, and if so you can form them into balls and cook them alongside your shells.
Ingredients
- 2 large zucchini
1 pound ground beef (may substitute ground turkey, sausage, or meat substitute)
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, divided into 2 ½-cup portions
1 medium onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 slices Italian bread, torn into small pieces
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning mix (basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme)
1¼ teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1 jar marinara sauce
1 can crushed tomatoes
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Gather and prepare your ingredients.
2. Cut zucchini in half, lengthwise. Using a spoon, remove the flesh, so that the remaining shells are about ½ an inch thick. Chop the insides you removed, and put it in a bowl.
3. Add your onion, garlic, ground meat, bread pieces, salt and pepper, spices, eggs, and ½ of the cheese to the bowl with the chopped zucchini, and mix thoroughly.
4. Spoon the mixture into the shells. Top with diced tomatoes and marinara sauce.
5. Cover, and bake for 45 minutes. Remove cover, and place the remaining ½ cup of cheese on top of the shells, and return to the oven to bake an additional 10 minutes until the cheese is fully melted.
6. Carefully remove from oven, and enjoy! Note that the sauce will be pretty hot, so allow a few minutes to cool.
Information
- Category
- Main Dishes
- Yield
- 4 shells
- Prep Time
- 35 minutes
- Cook Time
- 55 minutes
- Total Time
- 1 hour, 29 minutes, 59 seconds