Week 50: Stuffed Zucchini

Zucchini is my favorite summer vegetable. This meal started with a recipe from Cooking Light. I bought all the ingredients and was ready to go. . . until I found a similar recipe on Annie's Eats. I ended up combining the two to make the meal below.

Makes 5 - 6 servings
Prep time: 40 minutes
Cook time: 40 minutes

5 zucchini (each about 6" long) OR 3 zucchini (each about 12" long)
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 C onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 C mushrooms, chopped
1 (10 oz) package frozen spinach, thawed and drained
1 lb ground beef
1/4 C dry white wine
2 -3 tomatoes seeded and diced OR 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes, drained
1/4 C chopped fresh basil
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
3/4 C shredded Parmesan cheese
3.5 oz feta
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 tsp seasoned salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Cut zucchini in half lengthwise. Scoop out insides, leaving a shell about 1/4" thick. Reserve and chop about half of the zucchini insides.

 Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Saute onions and garlic until tender, about 4 - 5 minutes. Add mushrooms, reserved zucchini, and spinach. Saute until the mushrooms are tender, about 4 - 5 minutes. Dump into a bowl and set aside.

In the same skillet, cook and crumble ground beef over medium-high heat. Drain any accumulated fat and/or liquid. When beef is browned, stir in vegetable mixture. Add wine to the pan along with tomatoes, basil, and rosemary. Cook for several minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Once the meat mixture cools, add the cheese, egg, salt, and pepper. Fill zucchinis with the mixture. Place in a 9 x 13" glass baking dish with 1/4" water in the bottom. Bake uncovered for 35 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pan and serve immediately.

My Notes:
I will make this again! The flavor was fabulous, and it was very filling. You could easily replace the ground beef with a meat-substitute crumble or couscous to make a vegetarian dish.