Last Summer, we took a bounty of golden zucchini and stuffed it with quinoa, caramelized onions, walnuts, feta, and a red beet puree. In that post, we referenced the possibility of an Italian flavoured filling, and we finally got around to making it! We also had some ricotta cheese that we had leftover from a rendition of Roasted Eggplant and Ricotta Stuffed Shells, so we decided to fold that into our filling to give it a lasagna type flare!
This was great on its own, but if you are determined to serve it with a side dish, we suggest angel hair pasta or a side salad (in case this entree hasn’t got enough vegetables for your liking).
Time: 1 Hour
Ingredients:
- Large Zucchini
- Ground Meat of your choice…we used chicken (We used 4 ounces per zucchini half)
- Garlic
- Basil
- Oregano
- Tomato
- Tomato Sauce or Canned Tomatoes
- Ricotta Cheese
- Parmesan Cheese and/or Mozzarella
Method:
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F, and line a large baking sheet with foil. Give the foil a quick oil spray.
- Slice the very top and bottom off your zucchini, and then cut the zucchini in half longways. Use a spoon to scoop out the innards so you have a nicely hollowed out vegetable that looks like a dug-out canoe.
- Give your zucchini a quick olive oil spray, and place in the oven. Turn your attention to your filling.
- Dice or slice your garlic.
- Heat a little olive oil in a pan, and add your garlic.
- Sautee your garlic for a few minutes, and then add your ground meat. Sprinkle in your basil and oregano as well. Cook until your meat is browned, and then add your canned tomatoes or sauce, and cook until the liquid evaporates.
- Pour your seasoned meat mixture into a bowl, and fold in some ricotta cheese.
- Pull your zucchini halves out of the oven, and stuff each with your filling. Then layer thinly sliced tomatoes atop, and finish off with Parmesan (or Mozzarella) cheese.
- Place everything back in the oven, and bake for another 20 or so minutes until your zucchini softens.
- Plate, devour, and enjoy!
