Stuffed Zucchini | Imamother

ra_mom

Mon, Nov 09 2009, 7:21 pm

Stuffed Zucchini

10-12 medium zucchini, unpeeled, cut in half at center to form two equal pieces
2 lbs. ground beef
salt
black pepper
garlic powder
1 cup uncooked white rice
2 onions, finely chopped and sauteed in 3 Tbsp oil
3 (8 oz.) cans tomato sauce
3 cans water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cut a round tunnel through each piece of zucchini, using the tip of a vegetable peeler or an apple corer. Generously season meat with salt, pepper an garlic powder. Mix in rice. Stir until well combined.
Stuff the meat mixture into the scooped out zucchini. Fill end to end but do not pack too densely as filling will expand during cooking. Lay the zucchini in single layer in a shallow baking pan. Don;t pac kthem too tight, you may need 2-3 pans.
Combine the tomato sauce, water and sauteed onions. Season sauce with salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste. Ladle sauce over stuffed zucchini. Cover tightly. Cook in oven for 2 hours at 350 degrees, turning zucchinis over after 1 hour.

NOTE we use just 4 zucchinis (cut in half), and make mini size meatballs with the rest of the meat mixture and lay them in the pans alongside the stuffed zucchini, as the meat is our favorite part.

If anyone needs a tomato free version due to allergies, let me know. I made a tomato free sauce one night with this recipe and it worked out really well.

Mrs Bissli

Tue, Nov 10 2009, 10:41 am

I make stuffed vegetable the similar way. I usually pre-soak rice (parboiled ones) so it expands less. I also add crumbled dried mint leaves to the sauce. You can also stuff other vegetables--baby aubergines, red peppers, beetroots.

MaBelleVie

Thu, Jun 14 2012, 9:49 pm

Can't believe I never commented on this recipe! I make it often (actually I just looked it up to make for Shabbos) and it's soooo good. I like doing it Friday night because it's a meat and vegetable dish all in one Wink

ETA I recently started using a different spice mixture to make it more Moroccan tasting- with cumin, paprika, cinamon, cayenne pepper and coriander.

Mrs Bissli

Fri, Jun 15 2012, 8:33 am

What a coincidence, I just made one for shabbat this week!
I usually use 1/2 lamb mince and 1/2 lean beef mince, with quick cook/parboiled rice.
Turkey or dark ground chicken should work though obviously it would taste differently.

For vegetarian, you can use rice mixed with chickpeas (tinned). Or you can use mix of
rice and vegetarian mince (Quorn).
Make sure to soak rice and stuff only loosely--esp if you aren't using meat as rice expands more.