Best 4 Stuffed Zucchini Squash Recipes

ITALIAN-STYLE STUFFED ZUCCHINI SQUASH (CROCK POT)

Steps:

• To toast pine nuts, place them in a small nonstick skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally until golden or about 5 minutes.
• Place the zucchini halves in the bottom of an oval shaped slow cooker.
• In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine the tomato sauce and vinegar.
• In another small bowl, combine the onions, garlic, rice, parsley, basil, pepper, along with 2 tablespoons of the tomato sauce-vinegar mixture.
• Fill the zucchini halves with the rice mixture.
• Top with the remaining tomato sauce-vinegar mixture.
• Cover and cook on LOW until the rice is tender, 4 to 6 hours.
• Garnish with the pine nuts, fresh herbs, and cheese.
• Makes 2 main dish servings or 4 side dish servings.

STUFFED ZUCCHINI /SQUASH

Steps:

• In a large bowl, add raw meat, water, rice, and add spices. Mix with hands until well blended. Let sit for at least 15 minutes.
• Cut the top off each zucchini and carefully hollow out each one. Be careful not to break the edges. (I use an apple corer) Keep the end in-tact so that you have a tube.
• Stuff each zucchini with meat filling, leaving a little room for the rice to expand. (If you over stuff them, they will break when cooking). Layer in a large pot. Pour tomato sauce over the top. Fill can of sauce with water and pour water over the top until the zucchinis are covered. Squeeze lemon juice over the top. Place a plate on top if necessary to keep zucchini covered with liquid. Cover pot and bring to a boil. Immediately turn down the stove and let simmer for 2-4 hours, until zucchini are tender and rice is cooked.
• Serve with salad or with seasoned rice (pilaf is good).

STUFFED ZUCCHINI SQUASH

Steps:

• 1. Cut squash in half lengthwise and scoop out seeds. Remove all but about 3/4" of pulp, leaving hollow zucchini "boats". Chop any zucchini pulp worth saving very fine. Trim bottom of zucchini so they will sit level in a baking dish. Set aside.
• 2. Cook rice according to package directions, drain, and fluff with fork. Set aside.
• 3. Break ground meat into skillet. Cook with garlic and onion until meat is done and very crumbled. Stir in basil and tomato puree. Stir in enough cooked rice so you have about half meat and half rice. Also stir in any chopped zucchini pulp. Simmer for 15 minutes.
• 4. Arrange zucchini in long baking dish. Fill the cavities with the meat and rice mixture. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and top generously with grated Romano cheese. Pour tomato juice into bottom of dish around zucchini. Place any remaining rice around the squash in the tomato juice.
• 5. Bake at 350 degrees until squash is well done and cheese is crusty on top, about 30-40 minutes. Slice squash crosswise to serve.

ROASTED STUFFED ZUCCHINI & SUMMER SQUASH

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut each squash lengthwise.
• 2. Place some oil in the bottom of a roasting pan. Add the squash cut side up.
• 3. Season the squash.
• 4. Roast open side facing up for about 10-15 minutes.
• 5. While they are cooking, slice mushrooms.
• 6. Pull them from the oven. Pierce squash with a fork. They should be roughly half-cooked before you start the next step.
• 7. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
• 8. Fan mushroom slices lengthwise, overlapping some so they are covered from one end to the other. Generally, two mushrooms per squash seem to work.
• 9. Top with pizza cheese. I use the blends but you can use straight mozzarella. I am conservative with the cheese because I am trying to watch my calories. (Non-fat cheese does not melt worth anything.)
• 10. Return to oven and cook another 10-15 minutes. Cheese should be melted, slightly brown and squash should pierce easily.
• 11. I eat one half of the zucchini and one half of summer squash in a sitting. I usually skip any other veggies when I cook these as they are quite filling.
• 12. The roasting temp on this is flexible. You can go up or down 25 degrees to multitask with another dish for the same meal.