Stuffed Baked Zucchini

The garden is starting to produce zucchini, and one of the favorite dishes around our house is stuffed baked zucchini.  It's so easy, inexpensive, and very delicious, (and since the grand kids are willing eat it, I don't tell them that it's also good for them).  So, let's get started:
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  Line a baking pan with foil, and spray it with a little cooking spray.
This recipe will easily feed 4 - 6.  You will need:

2 good sized zucchini
2 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 teas salt
1/4 teas black pepper
2 Tabs butter
1/2 cup onion, diced
1 cup of stuffing mix, (either chicken or turkey flavored)
1 (10 oz pkg) frozen chopped spinach, (thawed)
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Wash the outside of your zucchini, then cut in half lengthwise.  Brush the cut side with the olive oil.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper

Place the zucchini cut side down in the baking pan, and brush the outside with more olive oil.  Bake in oven for 15 minutes.

While the zucchini is baking, mince the onion

Drain, and squeeze the liquid from the spinach.

Measure out 1 cup of stuffing mix, (if you don't have stuffing mix, you can mix poultry seasoning with some toasted crushed bread crumbs).

When the zucchini is done baking the pulp will be tender, remove from oven, reduce the heat down to 350 degrees, scoop out the pulp, keeping the outer shells intact.

Put the shells back in the baking pan, cut side upward.

cut up the zucchini pulp

In a large pan, melt the butter over medium heat.

Saute the onion, just until it is transparent, (about 5 minutes).  Be sure to salt and pepper your onions to add flavor and bring out their moisture.

Now add the stuffing mix, spinach, and sour cream.  Stir together.

Next, add in the zucchini pulp and the Cheddar cheese.  Mix in well.

Make sure to add salt and pepper.  (I also usually add 1 Tabs of garlic powder, but this is optional.)  Cook mixture for about 3 minutes, so the cheese starts to melt.

Spoon the mixture into the shells.  Make sure to pile it high.

I have to do this while the family is out of the kitchen, (or else they want to eat the stuffing mixture right out of the pan, and I don't have enough for the shells).

 Bake it for another 15 or 20 minutes, (depending on how hot your oven bakes), until heated through.

And there you have it - Stuffed baked Zucchini!!

So yummy!!

You can serve a whole shell on a plate, or cut the shell in half.  This recipe will easily serve 4 - 8 people, (depending on how large your zucchini are - the bigger zucchini can serve 4 each).


Next up - watch for my famous Chocolate Zucchini Bread!!!