Stuffed Zucchini
What to do with all that roving zucchini? Now you know. You can use any type of zucchini for this recipe, I used the pattypan variety, but adapt to whatever you have on hand. Just don’t wait for your zucchini to grow to club size, bigger is not better.
All of the ingredients except for the squash are optional. Feel free to delete or add tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, celery, chopped greens, pine nuts, whatever you have on hand. Make it yours. You might have stuffing leftover, just reheat later for lunch, or put an egg on it for breakfast.
Servings 4 people
Ingredients
- 4 medium zucchini squash
- 1 cup breadcrumbs croutons, or leftover rice
- 1/3 cup sliced bell peppers
- ¼ cup chopped onion or scallions
- 2-3 cloves minced garlic
- 2/3 cup feta or parmesan cheese
- ½ cup shitake or other mushrooms sliced
- 1 tbs. of combined fresh herbs chopped fine. I used basil, thyme, and rosemary. Use half as much for dried herbs.
- Olive oil
Instructions
-
Preheat oven to 375.
-
Prick the zucchini with a fork and put it on a greased baking sheet. Cook for about 15 - 20 minutes until somewhat tender. Let cool and cut the tops horizontally off of the zucchini. Remove the inside pulp with a knife, a grapefruit spoon is a great little helper with this, trying to leave the shell intact. Cut the zucchini pulp into small pieces and set aside.
-
Heat a saucepan over medium heat and coat the bottom with olive oil. Add the onion, mushrooms, squash, and peppers and sauté until softened, about 4-5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for a minute or two more. Add the bread or rice and incorporate. Stir for a few minutes more. Add cheese of choice, keeping a bit set aside to garnish, stuff into shells, add more cheese on top, and bake for 12-15 minutes until heated through.
Recipe Notes
Garnish with some fresh herbs or edible flowers, nasturtiums or daylilies are nice. Makes a nice vegetarian entrée or side dish.