Stuffed Zucchini
Stuffed zucchini can be a quick and easy weeknight meal with a little prep time.
I had a lot of zucchini from the farmer's market and I was tired of sautéing it. I had some beef that needed some pizzazz.
Beyond that, I didn’t have any ideas other than stuffing that zucchini.
When I made my weekly menu and planned stuffed zucchini, I assumed I would figure out between Sunday and Thursday how I wanted to go about this.
I was wrong. So I grabbed what I had hanging around. I knew I didn’t want a tomato sauce, but more of a cream cheese sauce and I had a tub of mascarpone patiently waiting for something.
This seems like a lot of work, but it was prepped in 15 minutes, and cooked for 30 minutes. You can start the beef, onions, and peppers the same time you begin work on the zucchini.
Once you have finished scooping out the middle of the zucchini, add it to the beef. It will continue to cook in the oven so it doesn’t have to be completely done before stuffing. It does need a at least 5 minutes or so in the pan to help reduce the water content.
Stuffed Zucchini
Ingredients
- 4 large zucchini, sliced lengthwise and middle scooped out and reserved.
- ¾ lb lean ground beef
- ½ cup chopped red/yellow/green peppers in any combination
- ½ cup onion, diced
- ⅓ cup of water
- 1 Tablespoon taco seasoning
- ½ cup shredded cheddar
- ½ cup of mascarpone cheese, cream cheese is excellent substitute
- ¼ cup of parsley, chopped
- ½ cup of mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 1 green onion, sliced thin
Instructions
- Brown beef, peppers, onions and the middle part of the zucchini that was scooped out. Leave “boats” on a sprayed sheet pan.
- Add taco seasoning and water. Stir and simmer a few minutes until seasoning is equally distributed.
- In a large bowl, add beef, cheddar, mascarpone, parsley. Mix well.
- Spoon mixture into each zucchini boat.
- Bake 400* for 30 minutes. If zucchini is not done, return to oven and check after 10 more minutes.
- Remove, sprinkle mozzarella cheese and return to oven. Turn heat off. Cheese will melt in 3-5 minutes. Top with green onions and serve.
Nutrition Information:
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 426Saturated Fat: 15gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 102mgSodium: 311mgCarbohydrates: 19gFiber: 5gSugar: 9gProtein: 32g
This is literally in the oven as I type this. I am so excited to try. I did leave out a couple of variations of cheese only because I am really trying to stay low-carb but limit my cheese. I had cheese for breakfast and well I cant have my cake and eat it too. I do think it is still going to taste fantastic. Great idea! I have done everything with zucchini as well including saute, zucchini pizza bites, etc. This recipe was definitely a change of pace and I cannot thank you enough. I found on Pinterest and now I am going to keep my eye on your recipes. Have a fabulous week. -Stephanie
Do you know how many calories are in this? It looks delicious and hoping to make it tonight.
A-MA-ZING!!! Thank you! Now a permanent part of my dinner repertoire. 🙂
I made this tonight and this will definitely be a favorite. It took me a little longer to put everything together, but it was worth it. Can I freeze it & reheat? Thank you.
I'm going to try it!
I wonder how this would work if I used a low fat greek yogurt instead of cram cheese....Hmmmm
I wonder how this would work if I used a low fat greek yogurt instead of cream cheese....Hmmmm
I do something similar with yellow squash and a pound of hot sausage. I fine dice a tomato and top with cheddar. I'm going to add your recipe to my meal rotation. When the squashes start coming in, we have to move fast!
My wife and I cooked this tonight for our Sunday family dinner and everyone loved it! Easy prep and quick cleanup.
Thanks for sharing this recipe! I made it with mild salsa, cilantro,cumin, & chipotle mixed in ground beef & brushed the inside of the zucchini with olive oil. Used italian blend cheese for topping. It was so delicious!!
Made this tonight -- it was fantastic and I normally don't like zucchini! My husband and 7 year old loved it! I used cream cheese instead of mascarpone since that's all I had on hand. I only had a Mexican blend cheese so I used that instead of the cheddar. I didn't have parsley or green onions.
This is definitely going in to our rotation. Thank you!
This is delicious. Instead of toco seasoning, I used seasoning salt. This is very quick to put together. I will definitely cook this often.
be nice if there was a way to get a PRINT version of this recipe. There's no way to print it.
You can right click, print. Then print only the page you need.
Made this tonight. Family loved it.
Omitted the peppers. Added diced carrots and garlic. Used Greek seasoning instead of taco seasoning. Did not add water. Used Lauging Cow garlic and herb wedges unread of marscapone or cream cheese. I love that you can add whatever you have on hand. Thanks! This is now in the rotation. It's very filling. Served it with a fruit salad.