Our household loves vegetables, and one of the favorites is Zucchini. We’re always looking for a new way to fix them. Here is one that we recently created and is now a favorite Zucchini recipe. It is delicious and makes a beautiful presentation.
Stuffed Zucchini Boats
4 medium Zucchini (cut in half)
1 Tablespoon extra-virgin Olive Oil
1 Teaspoon extra-virgin Olive Oil (this is in addition to other)
Cajun/Creole Seasoning – or salt & pepper to taste
1 lb lean ground beef
½ lb. Italian Sausage meat
Small, sweet onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Jalapeno Pepper, chopped fine (optional)
½ lb. sliced mushrooms
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
More Tony Chachere Creole seasoning
1 & ½ cups homemade or store-bought marinara sauce
Italian style breadcrumbs as needed
¾ cup mixed Italian cheese
1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Clean Zucchini, cut into halves and scoop out center flesh to make a boat. Put center flesh aside. Place boats on baking sheet. Season and drizzle with olive oil. Bake in 400-degree oven for 20 minutes. Chop up Zucchini flesh and put aside.
In a pan on the stove top, brown ground beef and sausage meat. Add Zucchini flesh, chopped vegetables and seasonings. Cook until meat is done, and vegetables are getting soft. Add the marinara sauce and cook until the sauce bubbles. If mixture is too watery, add breadcrumbs as needed to help bind the stuffing together.
Remove Zucchini Boats from oven. Stuff with meat mixture. Top each with all three kinds of cheese. Bake in 400-degree oven from 20 to 30 minutes. Serve while hot. Serves eight.
