I love all stuffed veggies and I have to say that these ground beef filled zucchini in tomato sauce are one of my favourites. Buy some more ground beef and make meatballs to cook in the same tomato sauce. Delicious.
prep time 20 min
cook time 30-40 min
ingredients for 4-5
- 350g ground beef
- 4 medium to large zucchini
- salt and pepper
- 1 egg
- 100g breadcrumbs
- 25g grated Parmigiano
- handful of chopped flat leaf parsley
- flour to coat the meatballs
- 400g tomato sauce
- 1/2 onion
- extra virgin olive oil
- Start by washing and tapping dry the zucchini. Cut off the edges and then cut them in half or into 3 pieces.
- Use a zucchini corer or an all-purpose corer to gently hollow out a tunnel through the zucchini. Put the zucchini flesh aside.
- Mince the zucchini flesh and put it into a bowl. Add the ground beef, breadcrumbs, parsley, grated Parmigiano, one egg, salt and pepper. Use your hands to combine everything thoroughly.
- With your fingers or a small spoon, fill the zucchini cavities with the stuffing, taking care not to pack them too tightly. Use the leftover stuffing to make meatballs.
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add thinly sliced onion and sauté for a few minutes. Add the tomato sauce or a tin of crushed tomatoes, add some salt and let simmer for a few minutes.
- Add the stuffed zucchini to the pan, cover and let cook for 15 minutes. In the meantime coat the meatballs with flour.
- After 15 minutes, add the meatballs to the pan with the zucchini and let cook for another 15 to 20 minutes on medium low. Serve warm or tepid.
BUON APPETITO!