Creamy Meat-Stuffed Zucchini recipe

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Ingredients

2 large thick zucchinis, ends trimmed
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
½ onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
¾ pound ground beef
½ teaspoon ground paprika
2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
¾ cup milk
¼ teaspoon white pepper
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg, or to taste
salt to taste
¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided

Nutrition Info

357.6 calories
carbohydrate: 15 g
cholesterol: 83.8 mg
fat: 22.5 g
fiber: 2.4 g
protein: 24.5 g
saturatedFat: 11 g
servingSize: -
sodium: 355.4 mg
sugar: 5.8 g
transFat: : -
unsaturatedFat: : -

Directions

  1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and immerse the zucchini in the boiling water. Set heat to medium, and cook the zucchini until they feel slightly soft when pressed with a wooden spoon, about 20 minutes. Drain the zucchini, and set aside to cool.

  2. Heat the vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat, and cook and stir the onion and garlic until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the ground beef, and cook and stir the meat, breaking it up as it cooks, until the beef is no longer pink, about 8 minutes. Stir in the paprika, and set the beef mixture aside.

  3. Cut the zucchinis in half lengthwise, and scoop out the flesh with a spoon, leaving a 1/2-inch thick shell. Chop the scooped-out zucchini flesh, and mix into the ground beef mixture.

  4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

  5. In a saucepan over low heat, melt the butter and whisk in the flour until smooth. Pour in the milk, a little at a time, and bring the mixture to a simmer, whisking constantly. Whisk in white pepper, nutmeg, and salt, and stir in half the Parmesan cheese to create a smooth sauce. Mix the white sauce thoroughly with the ground beef mixture. Place the zucchini halves into a baking dish. Fill the zucchini shells with the creamy beef mixture, and sprinkle each with about 1 1/2 tablespoons of the remaining Parmesan cheese.

  6. Bake in the preheated oven until the Parmesan cheese topping begins to turn golden brown, about 15 minutes.

Recipe Yield

4 servings

Recipe Note

Zucchini stuffed with a creamy meat filling is a wonderful variation from the Italian sauce, specially when you can find (or grow) big zucchinis in season.

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