Mediterranean Stuffed Zucchini Recipes

MIDDLE EASTERN STUFFED ZUCCHINI RECIPE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the stuffing ingredients of rice, ground beef, shredded onion, fresh parsley, dill, diced tomatoes, water, olive oil, allspice, garlic powder, and salt and pepper. Mix by hand to combine.
• Now, remove the top of 3 tomatoes and remove the core to hollow out the tomatoes making room for the stuffing. Do this using a corer like this one.
• With a knife, remove the very top of the zucchini, then cut each zucchini in half to make shorter zucchini for stuffing. Now you need to hollow out the zucchini to make room for the stuffing.
• Insert your corer about 3/4 of the way into the zucchini, making sure not to poke the bottoms. Twist the corer and pull out the zucchini cores or hearts. Do this a few times, and gently scrape the sides of the zucchini until you have hollowed each out making room for the stuffing. You'll want to leave about 1/4 inch rim of zucchini.
• Lightly oil the bottom of a large deep cooking pan like this one. Slice the remaining tomato and spread over the bottom of the pan. Now add the onion slices and the cores or hearts of the zucchini. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper.
• Now, using your hands, gently stuff the hollowed tomatoes with the rice stuffing. Then loosely stuff the zucchini with the rice stuffing about 3/4 of the way (do not over-stuff or crowd the rice stuffing in the zucchini or it will not cook well).
• Arrange the stuffed tomatoes in the center of the cooking pan, then add the stuffed zucchini (stuffed side up) around them. Tilt the zucchini a little, this helps them cook nicely through using less liquid.
• Now add the tomato sauce and water. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.
• Place the pan on the stove and cook on medium-high heat until the liquid starts boiling. Turn the heat down, cover and simmer for for 50 minutes until the zucchini is tender and the rice stuffing is fully cooked.
• Transfer to a serving platter or individual bowls. Top with the sauce from the cooking pan. Enjoy!

MEDITERRANEAN STUFFED ZUCCHINI

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
• Use a melon baller to separate and remove seeds and pulp separately from the zucchini, carving out each half and leaving about a half-inch shell. Chop zucchini pulp into pieces about 1/4 inch in diameter. Discard seeds.
• Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook and stir onion and garlic in hot oil until tender, about 5 minutes. Add ground lamb; continue to cook and stir until lamb is lightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir chopped zucchini into the lamb mixture. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer mixture until the zucchini is hot, about 3 minutes. Drain excess grease. Season lamb mixture with coarse salt and black pepper.
• Remove skillet from heat. Stir tomato sauce, tomatoes, feta cheese, pine nuts, and 1/4 cup mint leaves through the lamb mixture; spoon into the zucchini halves. Put stuffed zucchini halves into a large baking dish. Pour water into the baking dish.
• Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes. Mix bread crumbs and mozzarella cheese in a bowl. Sprinkle 1/4 cup mint leaves over the zucchini and top with the bread crumb mixture. Continue baking until the top is crusty and browned, about 10 minutes more.

ITALIAN-STYLE ZUCCHINI BOATS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
• Drizzle olive oil on zucchini and season with salt and pepper. Place on the prepared baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven until zucchini is fork-tender, 30 to 45 minutes.
• While zucchini is cooking, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir ground beef with onion and garlic until browned and crumbly, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in dried basil, dried oregano, and garlic salt.
• Combine tomato paste with 1 cup of water in a small bowl. Mix thoroughly. Drain fat from beef mixture if needed. Add tomato paste mixture and heat through. Turn off heat, add fresh basil leaves, and mix until well blended.
• Remove zucchini from the oven; leave the oven on. Scoop meat mixture generously into each zucchini quarter and sprinkle each with mozzarella cheese. Return to the oven and bake until cheese is melted, about 5 minutes.

MEDITERRANEAN STUFFED ZUCCHINI

Steps:

• Put the zucchini in a medium saucepan.
• Add enough water to cover and boil about 5 minutes, or just until tender.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Prepare a baking pan with nonstick pan spray.
• Split the zucchini in half lengthwise; leaving a 1/4-inch shell,.
• scoop out the pulp.
• Chop the pulp from 1 zucchini; set aside.
• Save the rest for another use (mixed vegetables, soup, or stew).
• Heat the olive oil in a nonstick saucepan.
• Add the onion and sauté over medium heat until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the chopped zucchini pulp and all the other ingredients except.
• the pine nuts and tomato sauce.
• Cover and simmer over low heat 15 minutes, or until the rice is almost tender.
• Toast the pine nuts in a small skillet over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes until light brown and fragrant.
• Stir them into the rice mixture.
• Stuff the mixture into the zucchini shells.
• Arrange the zucchini on the prepared baking pan and pour the tomato sauce.
• over and around the shells.
• Cover with foil; bake 25 to 30 minutes.

STUFFED ZUCCHINI

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine first 11 ingredients and 1 can of the tomato sauce; mix well. Stir in tomatoes. Halve zucchini lengthwise; scoop out seeds. Fill with meat mixture; place in two 13x9-in. baking dishes. Spoon remaining tomato sauce over each. , Bake, uncovered, at 375° until the zucchini is tender, about 45 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese during the last few minutes of baking.