Stuffed Zucchini

It is zucchini season here in Michigan. That makes me very happy. I really like zucchini, and I love that there are so many different things you can do with it.

My friends Stacy and Joseph have an amazing garden in their yard. Zucchini is just one of the vegetables that they are growing. Joseph keeps telling me that they have a ton of zucchini, but he keeps forgetting to give me some. No hard feelings, and I'm still looking forward to getting some.

But in the meantime, when I was at the grocery store the other day, I saw several bags of zucchini on the "marked down" shelves. I just had to rescue them. Just look at them, almost as good as just picked. The bag had these three and four more small ones, which I used to make zucchini bread (look for that post in the near future).

I've never made stuffed zucchini before, but I've eaten it. I really liked it, so I thought it would be cool to try it out. It turned out pretty good, but there are a few adjustments that I will make next time. They are included in this recipe. I'm sure you will love it.

What You Will Need:
Large Skillet

Baking Dish 
Non-Stick Cooking Spray

Ingredients:
3 Zucchini (medium to large)
1 pound Ground Beef
1 cup Chicken Stock
2 Tablespoons Minced Garlic
1 teaspoon Ground Pepper
1 teaspoon Paprika
1 teaspoon Onion Powder
1 teaspoon Corn Starch
1/2 teaspoon Cardamom
1/2 teaspoon Cumin
1 cup White Rice cooked with Chicken Stock
1/2 cup Gluten Free Bread Crumbs (made from my Best Gluten Free Bread - posted on May 29, 2013)
1/2 cup Shredded Italian Blend Cheese (or the white cheese of your choice)

Directions:
Cut zucchini in half lengthwise, and scoop out seeds and some of the meat to create boats. Spray baking dish with non-stick cooking spray, and place zucchini boats in the baking dish.

In skillet, cook ground beef over medium heat. Do not cook the meat all the way. Drain fat out of skillet. Add the garlic, pepper, paprika, onion powder, corn starch, cardamom, cumin and beef stock. Simmer over low heat until most of the stock is reduced.

Preheat oven to 350° F.

In a medium bowl, mix together ground beef mixture and rice.

Scoop mixture into zucchini boats.

Spread breadcrumbs over zucchini boats.

(My kids don't like zucchini, so they asked if they could just eat the meat stuffing. I'm a sucker for their adorable faces, so I filled some ramekins with the extra meat mixture.)

Bake stuffed zucchini boats (and ramekins) for 25 minutes, sprinkle cheese on top, then bake for an additional 5 minutes.

My pictures don't have cheese, because this is
one of the changes I will make next time. I added
cheese on my leftovers the next day for lunch,
and it made all the difference.

My hubby and I really enjoyed our stuffed zucchini. And if your kids are as picky as ours (and you are a sucker for them like I am for mine), the ramekin trick worked wonders. They loved the stuffing. 

"Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire!" ~ St. Catherine of Siena

Let's set the world on fire!

Sheryl