Stuffed Zucchini with Meat, Italian style, nothing says Italian Summer Dinner Dish then this. A delicious meatball mixture stuffed inside a hollowed out Zucchini and then pan-fried or baked to perfection.
2slicesbread (I use day old Italian if extra thick use 1 1/2 slices)
1/2poundground beef
1largeegg
1/4cupfreshly grated parmesan cheese
1/2-1teaspoonparsley (or 1 tablespoon fresh)
1/2teaspoonbasil
1/2teaspoonoregano
1/2teaspoonsalt
1/2 -1clovegarlic minced
Instructions
If the zucchini is long, cut it in half, then hollow it out, rinse and set aside.
In a small bowl soak the bread for about 30 seconds in either water or milk. Remove the crust and squeeze out the excess moisture, crumble and place in a medium bowl, add the ground beef, egg, parmesan cheese, spices and garlic, and mix well.
Stuff the meatball mixture into the zucchini. In a medium to large frying pan add 2 tablespoons of oil and place the stuffed zucchini in the pan, sprinkle with a pinch or 2 of salt and extra spices if desired, drizzle with approximately 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the water, cover the pan slightly. Cook on low/medium heat until the zucchini is tender and water has evaporated. Raise the heat, and uncover and cook till zucchini is slightly browned, turn and brown the other side. Serve immediately. Enjoy!
Notes
It's best to use either young small or medium zucchini, just make sure they are thick enough to hollow out. Large zucchini is best used for jarring or even bread or donuts.In order to make stuffed zucchini baked in the oven, I slice the zucchini lengthwise, remove extra pulp and place the stuffing on top, in the pan, cook it slowly in a 350F (180C) pre-heated oven for about 25-30 minutes (when the zucchini is fork tender), then sprinkle with a good amount of Parmesan Cheese and broil it in the oven for a few minutes. Perfect.