So we all want to eat more veggies and eat healthier. That is certainly easier said than done. Most of the time we are too busy to cook complicated recipes using fresh ingredients like veggies, or they simply are too bland for our taste buds and we get bored with them quickly.
I guarantee you that this stuffed zucchini casserole will satisfy your need for tasty food and is fast and very easy to prepare. You won’t miss the carbs in this dish and it is so good, you’ll make it over and over again. This stuffed zucchini with tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese has chopped jalapenos for spice and onions and bell peppers for added flavor.
The ground beef stuffing is well seasoned with Italian herbs and all those veggies, making this dish a total winner.
HOW TO MAKE STUFFED ZUCCHINI WITH GROUND BEEF?
- Step 1. Using a large bowl, combine ground beef, onion, bell pepper, jalapeno pepper, bread crumbs, beaten egg, parsley flakes, basil, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and one can of tomato sauce. Scoop out flesh from halved zucchini and if you want, add the chopped flesh to the meat mixture. Stir in chopped tomatoes.
- Step 2. Divide meat mixture evenly into zucchini boats and place them in two greased 9×13 casserole dishes
- Step 3. Spoon tomato sauce over each zucchini using the remaining can of tomato sauce
- Step 4. bake in a preheated 375 oven for about 45 minutes or until zucchini are tender and meat is cooked through. 10 minutes before finished cooking, add the mozzarella cheese on top.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH STUFFED ZUCCHINI?
The only thing missing in this wonderful dish is some carbs. If you don’t mind eating them, serve them with a side of white rice and make this a complete meal.
CAN YOU FREEZE STUFFED ZUCCHINI CASSEROLE?
Yes, you can. I recommend freezing them already assembled but before baking them to prevent them from getting soggy.
Stuff them, put them in a freezer bag, and freeze for up to 3 months. Before baking, thaw them completely and bake as directed.
STUFFED ZUCCHINI VARIATIONS:
If you are a vegetarian, you can substitute the meat with cooked and drained chickpeas or pinto beans.
Try mixing in some whole kernel corn too. Cooked lentils also make for a great meat substitute. Italian sausage is another option for ground chicken.
HELPFUL TIPS
- Be careful not to cut through the zucchini boat bottoms when spooning out the seeds
- To make the soft breadcrumbs, just throw a couple of slices of white bread into a food processor.
- Chop the onions and bell peppers the same size to ensure proper cooking
- Make sure when making the filling you mix everything really well to distribute all ingredients correctly
- You can use mozzarella or any cheese of your choice
OTHER RECIPES YOU MIGHT ENJOY
- PORTOBELLO PENNE PASTA CASSEROLE
- HAMBURGER CASSEROLE RECIPE (100-YEAR-OLD)
- YELLOW SQUASH CASSEROLE
- HOMEMADE GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE
- CHICKEN NOODLE CASSEROLE
Stuffed Zucchini
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lbs lean ground beef (90% lean)
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 large bell pepper, chopped
- 1 jalapeno pepper, minced
- 1 ¼ cups soft bread crumbs
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 1 tbsp dried parsley flakes
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp salt
- ⅛ tsp pepper
- 2 cans (8oz each) tomato sauce, divided
- 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
- 4 medium zucchini
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Using a large bowl, combine ground beef, onion, bell pepper, jalapeno pepper, bread crumbs, beaten egg, parsley flakes, basil, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and one can of tomato sauce. Scoop out flesh from halved zucchini and if you want, add the chopped flesh to the meat mixture. Stir in chopped tomatoes.
- Divide meat mixture evenly into zucchini boats and place them in two greased 9x13 casserole dishes
- Spoon tomato sauce over each zucchini using the remaining can of tomato sauce
- bake in a preheated 375 oven for about 45 minutes or until zucchini are tender and meat is cooked through. 10 minutes before finished cooking, add the mozzarella cheese on top.
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