## Introduction:
In the realm of culinary creations, stuffed vegetables reign supreme, offering a delightful symphony of flavors and textures. Among these culinary gems, tomato-stuffed zucchini stands out as a beacon of summer's bounty, a dish that captures the essence of fresh, seasonal produce. This recipe takes you on a culinary journey, transforming humble zucchini into a vibrant canvas adorned with juicy tomatoes, savory herbs, and a medley of aromatic spices. Accompanying this main course are two tantalizing side dishes: a refreshing cucumber salad that provides a crisp, cooling counterpoint to the rich stuffing, and a creamy garlic sauce that adds a touch of indulgence. Get ready to embark on a culinary adventure that celebrates the flavors of summer and leaves your taste buds craving more!
## Recipes:
1. **Tomato-Stuffed Zucchini:**
- This main course recipe takes center stage, guiding you through the process of selecting the perfect zucchini, hollowing them out, and filling them with a delectable mixture of tomatoes, herbs, spices, and cheese. The zucchini are then baked to perfection, resulting in a tender, flavorful dish that is sure to impress.
2. **Cucumber Salad:**
- A refreshing and vibrant side dish, this cucumber salad offers a burst of crispness and coolness to complement the richness of the stuffed zucchini. Thinly sliced cucumbers are tossed with a tangy dressing made from vinegar, sugar, and herbs, creating a light and flavorful accompaniment.
3. **Creamy Garlic Sauce:**
- Indulge in the richness of this creamy garlic sauce, a perfect dipping companion for the stuffed zucchini. A blend of mayonnaise, sour cream, garlic, and herbs, this sauce adds a touch of decadence to the dish, balancing the flavors and creating a truly memorable culinary experience.
TOMATO STUFFED ZUCCHINI
"This is one of our favorite vegetable dishes and a good way to use summer squash," says Marilyn Newcomer of Sun City, California. "It has such a nice Italian flavor that sometimes I double or triple the dish and serve it to company. It can be fixed ahead and warmed up at dinnertime."
Provided by Taste of Home
Categories Side Dishes
Time 40m
Yield 2 servings.
Number Of Ingredients 6
Steps:
- Cut zucchini in half lengthwise. Scoop out and discard pulp, leaving a 1/4-in. shell. Place zucchini in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil; cover and cook for 2-4 minutes or until tender. Drain., In a small bowl, combine the tomato, Monterey Jack cheese, parsley, salt, garlic powder, oregano and pepper. Spoon into zucchini shells. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. , Place in an 8-in. square baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until heated through.,
Nutrition Facts : Calories 79 calories, Fat 5g fat (3g saturated fat), Cholesterol 14mg cholesterol, Sodium 259mg sodium, Carbohydrate 5g carbohydrate (3g sugars, Fiber 2g fiber), Protein 7g protein.
STUFFED ZUCCHINI WITH FRESH TOMATO SAUCE
This recipe, by Craig Claiborne with Pierre Franey, was published in New York Times in 1981. Its easy and sensational, and that's why I've been making it every summer since then. Recently, when I misplaced the recipe, I was unable to find it online. Now that I've found it, I wanted to post it where others can enjoy -- and I'll never panic again that I may not be able to find it.
Provided by Catherine Rome
Categories Pork
Time 50m
Yield 2 1/2 cups, 6 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 18
Steps:
- Split the zucchini in half. Scoop out the center flesh/pulp, leaving a shell about a quarter-inch thick. Reserve the pulp.
- Drop the zucchini shells into cold water and bring to a boil. Simmer for 30 seconds. Drain and run under cold running water.
- In a skillet, heat half of the oil and add the onion, garlic, green pepper and the reserved pulp. Cook, stirring, about 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste, and oregano. Remove from heat and briefly cool.
- Stir in the pork, pine nuts, egg and four tablespoons of the bread crumbs. Blend well with hands. Stuff the squash with this mixture. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Blend remaining bread crumbs and the grated cheese and sprinkle over the stuffed zucchini, then dribble with the remaining oil.
- When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Bake the stuffed zucchini, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Serve with fresh tomato sauce.
- Fresh Tomato Sauce:.
- Prepare the tomatoes and set them aside.
- Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the onion and garlic and cook briefly. Add the wine and reduce the liquid by one-half. Add the tomatoes, basil, salt and pepper, and cook for five minutes.
- Use a blender or food processor to blend to a puree. Return the puree to the saucepan, reheat and serve.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 314.8, Fat 22, SaturatedFat 7, Cholesterol 82.5, Sodium 152.7, Carbohydrate 13.6, Fiber 2.7, Sugar 4.9, Protein 15.1
CHICKEN BREASTS STUFFED WITH ZUCCHINI, TOMATO AND BASIL
A grill recipe to use your summer vegetables! This recipe works well with chicken, but another option is to substitute pork loin.
Provided by Bev I Am
Categories Chicken
Time 1h10m
Yield 4 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 10
Steps:
- Prepare a fire in a charcoal grill.
- Butterfly each chicken breast half by slicing it horizontally from one side to within 1/2 inch of other.
- Open like a book and sprinkle to taste with salt and pepper.
- For Marinade: In a shallow baking dish, combine ingredients.
- Add chicken and turn to coat all sides.
- Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- Layer tomato and zucchini slices and basil leaves inside each chicken breast.
- Close and secure with toothpicks.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Cook chicken breasts over a medium fire, turning often and brushing occasionally with olive oil, until juices run clear when pierced by a skewer, 20-30 minutes.
STUFFED ZUCCHINI IN TOMATO SAUCE OR KOUSA
This recipe is from the middle eastern cookbook by Tes Mallos. My husband is Palestinian and I have been making this for guests for quite a while, even my kids love it! This is the best recipe I have tried for zucchini or "kousa". It does take time and you will need a zucchini corer (mine was a gift from MIL). If you use an apple corer you will have to cut the zucchini into smaller segments. But this is a really wonderful dish, you could also substitute some of the zucchini for small eggplant, as this is traditionally cooked all together with both, but I like zucchini best.
Provided by loverania
Categories Vegetable
Time 1h30m
Yield 4-5 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 19
Steps:
- Choose either medium or small zucchini. Wash well cut of stem end. Using a corer hollow out zucchini leaving rounded end intact. Try not to puncture the skin. Soak in salted water for 10 minutes.
- Gently fry onion in butter until transparent. Add pine nuts after 10 minutes cook with onions for another 10 minutes, stir occasionally.
- Add pan contents to ground meat, rice parsley, spice and about a teaspoon of salt and pepper and 1/4 cup of water if need to be easy to work with (I don't add water).
- Fill zucchini with stuffing. (The rice expands and the meat will shrink so fill them all the way).
- Prepare the sauce: in a frying pan gently fry chopped onion in butter. When transparent add chopped garlic cook for a few seconds and chopped peeled tomatoes, tomato paste, water and cinnamon with salt and pepper to taste.
- Ladle some of the sauce into the bottom of a heavy based pan, arrange zucchini in layers adding sauce to each layer, you may have 2-3 layers of zucchini. Or I stand them up on end with the open side up (again DH tells me this is not the "proper" way to do it but if they burn then only the one end is ruined).
- Add enough water to just cover the zucchini with sauce, you may or may not need to do this depending on how much sauce you have.
- Cover and simmer gently for 1 1/4 hours or until veggies are tender and rice is cooked.
- Serve hot or warm with sauce and Arabic pita bread for dipping.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 483.2, Fat 35, SaturatedFat 19.9, Cholesterol 106.7, Sodium 199.1, Carbohydrate 29.9, Fiber 5.3, Sugar 9.9, Protein 16.1
ZUCCHINI STUFFED WITH TOMATO, WHITE BEANS, AND PESTO
This recipe will require a large cooker (preferably oval shaped) in order to accommodate the shape of the zucchini. You could bake in the oven. This recipe is from my Fresh From the Vegetarian Slow Cooker cookbook.
Provided by DailyInspiration
Categories Beans
Time 24m
Yield 4 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 10
Steps:
- Scoop out the zucchini flesh, keeping about 1/4 inch of the flesh and the shells intact. Chop the pulp.
- Heat 1 tablespoons of the olive oil in a medium-size skillet over medium heat, add the shallots, garlic, and chopped zucchini, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and cook until the vegetables are tender; about 10 minutes. Stir in the tomato, beans, pine nuts, parsley, and basil, season to taste with salt and pepper, and mix well.
- Fill the zucchini shells with the stuffing mixture and place them in a lightly oiled 5 1/2 - 6 quart oval slow cooker. Drizzle the zucchini with the remaining 1 tablespoons oil. Cover and cook on LOW for 3-4 hours, until the zucchini is tender.
Tips:
- Choose the right zucchini: Select firm and medium-sized zucchini for even cooking. Avoid large ones as they might have a tough texture.
- Preheat the oven: Always preheat your oven to the required temperature before baking the stuffed zucchini. This ensures even cooking and prevents the zucchini from becoming soggy.
- Hollow out the zucchini carefully: Use a spoon or melon baller to scoop out the zucchini flesh, leaving a 1/2-inch thick shell. Be careful not to puncture the zucchini.
- Don't overcook the filling: Cook the filling until it is heated through but not overcooked. Overcooking can make the vegetables mushy and bland.
- Use a variety of fillings: Feel free to experiment with different fillings to create a variety of flavors. Some popular options include ground beef, sausage, rice, quinoa, and vegetables.
- Top with cheese: Adding a layer of cheese to the top of the stuffed zucchini before baking adds a delicious golden-brown crust and extra flavor.
- Serve with your favorite sides: Stuffed zucchini can be served with a variety of sides such as roasted vegetables, mashed potatoes, or a simple salad.
Conclusion:
Tomato-stuffed zucchini is a versatile and delicious dish that is perfect for a weeknight meal or a special occasion. With its tender zucchini, flavorful filling, and cheesy topping, it is sure to be a hit with everyone at the table. So next time you're looking for a healthy and satisfying meal, give this recipe a try!
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