Italian Stuffed Zucchini Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and line a small baking dish with foil. Scoop out the seeds from the zucchini, leaving a 1/4-inch-thick shell.
• Combine the ricotta, 1/4 cup Italian cheese blend, the parsley, capicola and lemon zest and juice in a medium bowl. Season the zucchini with salt and pepper, then fill with the ricotta mixture.
• Drizzle each zucchini half with about 1 tablespoon marinara sauce, then sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup Italian cheese blend. Transfer to the baking dish and bake until the cheese is melted and bubbling, about 20 minutes.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Measure one cup of marinara sauce and set aside.
• Trim the ends from the zucchini and slice them in half lengthwise. Using a teaspoon, scrape the inside of the zucchini forming a cavity, being careful not to cut through.
• Place the zucchini boats in a 9 x 13" baking dish and add a cup of water. Cover with foil then bake for 20 minutes or until just slightly fork tender. Remove from oven, remove foil and set aside to cool slightly.
• While the zucchini is cooking, add the olive oil to a skillet and place over medium heat. Add the ground turkey, onions, peppers, and garlic to the pan, and stir until fully combined. Cook, stirring to break up the ground turkey as it cooks. Cook until the meat is cooked and the vegetables have softened. If there is too much grease, drain off as much as possible. and return skillet to the heat.
• Add the remaining 2 cups marinara sauce, parsley and spices and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes. Taste and adjust the spices if necessary.
• Remove the zucchini from the baking dish and drain off the water. Pour the 1 cup marinara on the bottom of the dish and place the zucchini on top of the sauce.
• Fill the zucchini cavities with the meat sauce. If you have extra, add it around the zucchini or save it to enjoy with pasta another day. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes. or until zucchini is fork tender.
• Remove dish from oven and set the oven to broil. Remove the foil then sprinkle the mozzarella cheese, then the parmigiano-reggiano cheese, and then the breadcrumbs evenly over the six zucchini boats.
• Place dish in the oven and broil for approximately 2 minutes, with the door open, until the cheese has melted and golden in colour.
• *I used my Basil Tomato Sauce Recipe #447975.

Steps:

• Cut zucchinis in half lengthwise and spoon out the seeds, being careful not to go through to the skin. Place zucchini guts in a bowl; mix in diced tomatoes, white onion, and green pepper.
• Heat butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and sautè until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the zucchini pulp mixture. Sautè until almost tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in sausage, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.
• Let mixture simmer for about 5 minutes; add the tomato sauce. Simmer for 5 minutes more, then reduce heat to low.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Bring a pot of water on the stove to a boil.
• Place the zucchini halves in the boiling water for 3 minutes. Remove the zucchini.
• Place zucchini halves into an oven-safe baking dish. Fill the pieces with your sausage mixture. Top them off with mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Cover with foil.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Remove the aluminum foil. Continue to cook until tender, about 30 minutes more.
• Garnish with fresh parsley and enjoy!

Steps:

• 1. SAUCE: Heat olive oil in a very large skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Add onions and cook until they are soft and translucent (not browned). Add garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
• 2. Carefully add tomatoes and salt (they will splatter!). If using canned whole tomatoes, crush them with your hands as they go in. Lower heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes.
• 3. MEATBALLS: Wet slices of bread and quickly squeeze out the moisture. Shred the bread into a large bowl. Add eggs, Parmesan (use low fat if desired), Italian seasoning, garlic, salt, and chopped parsley and mix.
• 4. Add meat (use the bison for a lower fat content - no one will know!) and gently combine everything.
• 5. COMPOSE: Slice the large zucchini into 2-inch drums. Using an apple corer, core out the center of the flesh containing seeds of each drum.
• 6. Gently stuff the meat mixture into each zucchini drum.
• 7. Place them in the simmering sauce. Make meatballs with leftover meat mixture and place them in the simmering sauce. Cover and cook for approximately 25-30 minutes, turning the zucchini and meatballs one time, or until the meat is cooked through.
• 8. Serve over spaghetti noodles with additional Parmesan cheese.