Stuffed zucchini is a delicious and nutritious dish. Perfect grilled on a summer day, but delicious and also suitable for cold winter nights. They're substantial enough for a meal, but also light enough that you don't feel like you've eaten lasagna or some other stuffed dish. The most common way to prepare stuffed zucchini is in the oven, but you can also grill them or cook them in a pan. For the filling you can use whatever you want, from veal to mushrooms, it depends on your tastes. If you want to learn how to make stuffed zucchini today, start reading Step 1.
Ingrediants
Baked Stuffed Zucchini
- 225 g of ground beef
- 1 large zucchini, without the ends
- 1/2 cup of breadcrumbs
- 2 cloves of ground garlic
- 450g spaghetti sauce (one jar)
- 160 g sliced black olives (one can)
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
- 1 cup of mozzarella cut into strips
Grilled Stuffed Zucchini
- 6 courgettes cut in half lengthwise
- 1 cup diced onion
- 1/2 cup diced cooked ham
- 2 Roma tomatoes, diced
- 2 3/4 cups of champignon mushrooms
- 1 lightly beaten egg
- 3 tablespoons of breadcrumbs
- 2/3 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup of parsley
- 2 ground garlic cloves
- Salt and Pepper To Taste.
Stuffed Zucchini in a Pan
- 8 medium zucchini
- 1/4 cup of olive oil
- 300 g of ground veal
- 2 cloves of peeled and ground garlic
- 2/3 cup of Asiago cheese
- 1 small red onion, diced
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1 kg of seedless peeled tomatoes
- Salt and Pepper To Taste.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Baked Stuffed Zucchini
Step 1. Heat the oven to 175 ºC
Step 2. Cook the beef
Put a little olive oil in a pan and cook the meat, turning it for about 10 minutes, until it becomes nice toasted. As it cooks, you can shred the beef. Drain the extra fat and place it in a bowl, using a slotted spoon.
Step 3. Prepare the zucchini
Cut them in half lengthwise and use a spoon to remove the pulp. Leave about 1 1/2 cm of peel around the courgette. If they are too hard and you can't remove the pulp, boil them for a few minutes or soak them for 10 minutes. Remember to cut the ends.
Step 4. Prepare the filling
In the bowl with the beef you prepared earlier, add: the pulp of the zucchini, the breadcrumbs, the garlic, the black olives, the spaghetti sauce and the cheese. Mix the ingredients until they reach a homogeneous consistency.
Step 5. Fill the zucchini
Now, fill each half zucchini with the mixture. Don't wear too much.
Step 6. Place the zucchini on a baking sheet
Remember to cover them with aluminum foil.
Step 7. Cook the zucchini for 40-45 minutes
They should become tender, but not too soft to break when you touch them. When they are ready, take them out of the oven and remove the foil.
Step 8. Sprinkle the zucchini halves with mozzarella
Step 9. Grill the zucchini for another 5 minutes
Then, put the pan in the oven, 15 cm away from the oven rack. Light it and grill the zucchini until the mozzarella finishes melting and browns. It should be ready in 5 minutes. Remove the courgettes from the oven and let them cool for 3-4 minutes.
Step 10. Serve them
Enjoy this dish alone or with a side of pasta or rice.
Method 2 of 3: Grilled Stuffed Zucchini
Step 1. Prepare the zucchini
To prepare the zucchini for the grill, you need to wash them, and cut them in half lengthwise. All qualities of zucchini are suitable for the preparation of this dish. Boil a pot of water, add salt and cook the washed zucchini for about 10 minutes. They should become tender, therefore removing the pulp from the inside will be simple.
Step 2. Prepare the ingredients for the filling
Cut the white onion into cubes, cook the ham and cut it into cubes. Do the same with the tomatoes and mushrooms. After the ham is cooked, throw away the excess fat, or save it for the filling.
Step 3. Drain and let the zucchini cool
Remove the zucchini from the pot and drain the excess water. Put them on a cutting board for a few minutes and wait for them to cool.
Step 4. Remove the pulp from the inside of the zucchini with a teaspoon
The consistency should be pulpy with seeds. After boiling, the pulp is easily removed.
Step 5. Sauté the garlic and onion
Sauté the diced white onion and garlic, add the tomato and simmer for one or two minutes. Add the mushrooms and continue cooking until soft.
Step 6. Pour the diced ingredients into a mixing bowl
Now, put the onion, ham, tomatoes and mushrooms in a bowl. Add the egg, the breadcrumbs (you can make it at home with stale bread) and the Parmesan. Mix the ingredients until you get a creamy dough.
Step 7. Spray non-adherent olive oil into a lockable grid
Alternatively, you can use a pizza pan.
Step 8. With a spoon, put the filling into the zucchini
Place the courgette halves on a plate, with the skin side down. Fill them with the mixture you prepared earlier, making sure to fill them all evenly, with the same amount of filling for courgette.
Step 9. Put the stuffed zucchini on the grill and cook them at a medium temperature for about half an hour
By average temperature we mean from 170 to 200 ºC. While cooking, check them often to prevent them from burning. The top should be crisp, but not burnt. When they are soft and ready, take them out of the oven and let them cool for a few minutes before serving.
Step 10. Serve them
Enjoy these super tasty stuffed courgettes on their own, whenever you want. For an even richer and creamier texture, sprinkle them with cheese before serving.
Method 3 of 3: Stuffed Zucchini in a Pan
Step 1. Prepare the zucchini
The first thing you should do to prepare the zucchini is to soak them for half an hour. This way you will get rid of the sand and grime and they will become softer. Use an apple pitter to cut the ends of the courgettes and empty the central part to obtain small "boats" that you will fill with the meat filling.
Instead of throwing away the courgette peel, cut it and set it aside to add to the filling
Step 2. Pour a tablespoon of olive oil into a large pan and heat it to a medium-high temperature
After a minute it will have become hot enough to cook the meat in.
Step 3. Add the ground veal to the pan
While cooking, mix the meat so that it absorbs the oil evenly. Cook it for about 4 minutes until it browns well (or even lightly). With a skimmer, move the veal to a bowl. Leave the excess fat in the pan.
Step 4. Add more olive oil to the pan and cook the garlic at medium-high temperature
Put another tablespoon of oil in the same pan and cook 2 peeled and crushed cloves of garlic. After 2 minutes they should turn golden. Remove them from the pan with a slotted spoon and throw them - the taste of garlic will remain in the oil.
Step 5. Cook the pieces of zucchini peel in the pot
Cook the courgette peel in oil infused with garlic and veal fat. After 5-6 minutes, add the zucchini peel to the bowl with the veal.
Step 6. Make the filling
Mix the courgette peel with the veal and mix well to mix the ingredients. Then, fill the "boats" with the filling.
Step 7. Cook the zucchini in a pan on medium-high heat
Put 2 tablespoons of oil in a heavy pan at medium-high temperature. After 1-2 minutes, when the oil is hot, add a layer of zucchini (depending on how big the pan is). Wait for them to turn golden on the sides and turn them when needed. After about 10 minutes they should be ready. Use a skimmer to move them to a plate. Repeat this procedure with the other courgettes, until they are all ready.
Step 8. In the pan, cook the chopped onion for 3 minutes
Cook on medium-high heat, turning often, until golden or browned.
Step 9. Return the courgettes to the pan with the onions and add the white wine
Put half a glass of dry white wine in the pan and add the zucchini. The wine must boil. While cooking, add salt and pepper to your taste, then add the peeled seedless tomatoes. If you want to save time, you can use canned tomatoes.
Step 10. Cover the pan and lower the heat to low and cook the zucchini “boats” for 30-40 minutes
Occasionally, flip the zucchini to cook evenly. When they are soft, take them off the heat. Before serving, let them cool for at least 5 minutes.
Step 11. Serve them
Enjoy these tasty stuffed zucchini in a pan on their own.
