Plated + Served: Attack of the Summer Squash
Zucchini has chutzpah.
If you grow zucchini, or have friends who do, you know what I mean. Zucchini doesn’t offer up a simple harvest. No. Zucchini is the gift that keeps on giving… and giving.. and giving. With zucchini, it gets to the point that you want to say: Enough!
Besides being incredibly prolific, zucchini, like a lot of other summer squash, demands to be eaten NOW. You can freeze it and preserve it a few other ways, but unlike other garden vegetables, zucchini really loses a lot of integrity if it’s not eaten fresh. That’s a lot of moxie.
Big Sis Anna is the gardener in the family and she gave me this recipe for Stuffed Zucchini. Here she is with a huge Trumpet Squash she pulled from her garden yesterday. Now THAT’S a squash with chutzpah!
Stuffed Zucchini
prep: 20 minutes
cook: 45 minutes
you’ll need…
3 zucchini (6-inches to 8-inches long, 2-inches in diameter)
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, finely minced or pushed through a garlic press
1 lb. ground turkey
2 cups pasta sauce, divided
1 cup finely grated parmesan cheese (or your favorite cheese)
let’s get to it…
Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly oil a 13-inch x 9-inch baking dish. Spread ½ cup pasta sauce on bottom of the pan.
Cut zucchini lengthwise; place on a microwave safe plate and cover (do this in batches if necessary). Microwave on high 2 to 3 minutes.
Hollow out the middle of each zucchini with a spoon, reserving the pulp; place zucchini shells into the baking dish on top of the pasta sauce.
Heat olive oil and onion in a large skillet on medium high until onion is soft, about 2 to 3 minutes; add garlic and reserved zucchini pulp and cook until most of the liquid has been absorbed, about 5 minutes. Remove vegetables from the skillet and set aside.
Add ground turkey to the skillet and cook until the turkey is no longer pink.
Stir in remaining pasta sauce and cooked vegetables; remove from heat.
Fill each hollowed out zucchini shell evenly with turkey mixture and top with cheese.
Bake for 20 minutes or until heated through.
Garnish with basil if desired.
cooking know how…
Look for zucchini that are firm, vivid green and free of blemishes.
Stuffed Zucchini
I cant wait to try this recipe!! yummm!!!
Let me know how you like it. You can also use ground beef or ground chicken… or go the veggie route.