Stuffed zucchini is a vegetable dish in which the pulp of zucchini is removed and the space is refilled with a smorgasbord of stuffing ingredients such as bread crumbs, ground meats or sausage, chopped vegetables, nuts and spices. The zucchini is baked to both cook the stuffing and soften the zucchini. Since zucchini grows lengthwise, most cooks slice the vegetable lengthwise into long hollow halves resembling narrow boats. Therefore, the dish may also be called "stuffed zucchini boats."
The most basic stuffed zucchini recipe uses an additional vegetable, a ground or chopped meat or egg addition, cheese, spices and a binding ingredient such as breadcrumbs or bread cubes. To make stuffed zucchini, the cook chops off the ends of the vegetable and slices it lengthwise. The inner pulp is scooped from the two sections, creating a "boat" that cradles the stuffing. The cook packs the stuffing into the zucchini boats and bakes the dish in the oven on medium heat for approximately 30 minutes. Small stuffed zucchini boats may be served as appetizers, as a side dish, or in larger portions as the main entree.
Ingredients
- 3 zucchini
- 1 pound pork sausage
- 1 cup dry bread crumbs
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 (32 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
- Trim stems from zucchini and slice lengthwise. Scoop out seeds and put in bowl. Mix seeds with sausage, garlic, bread crumbs, and parmesan cheese. Stuff squash with sausage mixture and place in 9x13 inch baking pan. Pour sauce over squash and cover pan with foil.
- Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until sausage is cooked. Remove foil and cover with mozzarella cheese. Cook until cheese is melted.
