Beef And Bulgur Stuffed Zucchini Food

BEEF & BULGUR-STUFFED ZUCCHINI BOATS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Cut each zucchini in half lengthwise. Scoop out flesh, leaving a 1/4-in. shell; chop flesh., In a large skillet, cook beef, onion and red pepper over medium heat 6-8 minutes or until meat is no longer pink, breaking it into crumbles; drain. Stir in tomato sauce, bulgur, pepper and zucchini flesh. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 12-15 minutes or until bulgur is tender. Stir in salsa. Spoon into zucchini shells., Place in a 13x9-in. baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake, covered, 20 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake, uncovered, 10-15 minutes longer or until zucchini is tender and filling is heated through.

BEEF-STUFFED ZUCCHINI

Steps:

• Cut zucchini in half lengthwise; cut a thin slice from the bottom of each with a sharp knife to allow zucchini to sit flat. Scoop out pulp, leaving 1/4-in. shells. , Place shells in an ungreased 3-qt. microwave-safe dish. Cover and microwave on high for 3 minutes or until crisp-tender; drain and set aside. , Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook beef, onion and zucchini pulp over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Remove from the heat; stir in the marinara sauce, egg, bread crumbs, salt, pepper and 1/2 cup cheese., Spoon about 1/4 cup into each shell. Microwave, uncovered, on high for 4 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Microwave 3-4 minutes longer or until a thermometer inserted into filling reads 160° and zucchini are tender. If desired, broil zucchini 3 in. from the heat for 3-5 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown. Serve with additional marinara sauce.

GREEK-STYLE STUFFED PEPPERS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a large bowl, combine the beef, spinach, zucchini, onion, bulgur, egg, oregano, salt and a few grinds of pepper. Mix until thoroughly combined.
• Arrange the pepper halves cut side up in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish and fill each pepper half with the meat mixture. Pour the tomatoes over the peppers and sprinkle with the feta cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake until the meat mixture is completely cooked and the peppers are tender, about 25 minutes longer.

BEEF AND BULGUR-STUFFED ZUCCHINI

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Cut each zucchini in half crosswise. Using a melon baller, carefully scoop out zucchini flesh, leaving about 1/4 inch flesh intact on all sides and leaving zucchini closed at the bottom of each half. Reserve zucchini flesh for another use, or discard. Reserve zucchini tubes.
• Heat oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook, stirring, until they are soft and translucent, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 2 minutes more. Add ground beef, cumin, coriander and red pepper flakes and cook until meat is just done and no longer pink, 4 to 5 minutes. Add bulgur, and diced tomatoes and currants and cook an additional 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in pine nuts and parsley. Let mixture cool slightly, about 5 minutes. Using a small spoon or clean hands, gently stuff zucchini halves with beef-mixture.
• Place zucchini halves in a 9 by 13-inch glass baking dish. Combine reserved tomato juice, tomato sauce and salt and pour over zucchini. Cover tightly with foil and place in oven. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven, uncover and rotate zucchini. Re-cover, return dish to oven and bake an additional 20 to 25 minutes, until zucchini is cooked through but still slightly firm. Place 2 zucchini halves on a plate and serve with tomato sauce.
• 1 serving is 2 zucchini halves and 3 tablespoons tomato sauce.

ITALIAN SAUSAGE-STUFFED ZUCCHINI

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Cut each zucchini lengthwise in half. Scoop out pulp, leaving a 1/4-in. shell; chop pulp. Place zucchini shells in a large microwave-safe dish. In batches, microwave, covered, on high 2-3 minutes or until crisp-tender., In a large skillet, cook sausage and zucchini pulp over medium heat 6-8 minutes or until sausage is no longer pink, breaking sausage into crumbles; drain. Stir in tomatoes, bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, herbs and pepper. Spoon into zucchini shells., Place in 2 ungreased 13x9-in. baking dishes. Bake, covered, 15-20 minutes or until zucchini is tender. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Bake, uncovered, 5-8 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. If desired, sprinkle with additional minced parsley.

BULGUR-STUFFED ROUND ZUCCHINI

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400F and grease a medium baking dish with olive oil.
• Rinse and dry the zucchini. Use a paring knife to cut a neat hat off the top of each. Carve the inside with a melon baller or a sharp-edged spoon, making sure you don't break through the skin. Reserve the flesh. (If you use long zucchini, slice them in two lengthwise, and carve the centre to form boat-shaped containers).
• Put the zucchini shells and hats in the prepared dish, drizzle with the tablespoon of olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until tender but still holding their shape. (This yields tastier results than boiling the shells: it will concentrate and caramelise the flavour of the zucchini).
• Meanwhile, cook the bulgur in stock or water according to package instructions and let cool. Toast the pine nuts in a dry skillet.
• Heat the teaspoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook for 5 minutes, stirring regularly, until softened. Add the reserved zucchini flesh and season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook for 5 minutes, stirring from time to time. Remove the lid and cook for 5 more minutes, until all the juices have evaporated. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
• When the zucchini shells are tender, take them out of the oven (leave the heat on) and put them upside down on a plate lined with paper towels. Combine the zucchini mixture, bulgur, cinnamon, red pepper flakes, if using, goat cheese, mint, and pine nuts in a medium mixing bowl. Mix thoroughly with a fork. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
• Set the shells upright in the gratin dish, spoon in the filling, distributing it evenly, and top each zucchini with its hat. (The recipe can be made up to a day ahead up to this point.) Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until the filling is heated through, and serve immediately.

BEEF STUFFED ZUCCHINI

Steps:

• Cut zucchini in half lengthwise; cut a thin slice from the bottom of each so they sit flat. Scoop out pulp, leaving a 1/4 inch shell.
• Place shells in an ungreased 13x9 microwave safe dish (or any size that will fit all four pieces - mine is round). Turn off turntable setting on microwave (I remove the turntable).
• Cover dish and microwave on HIGH for 3 minutes or until crisp tender; drain and set aside.
• In a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink and broken up well; drain.
• Remove skillet from heat and stir in egg, marinara sauce, bread crumbs, salt, pepper and 1/2 cup cheese.
• Spoon about a 1/4 cup into each shell. Microwave, uncovered, on HIGH for 4 minutes.
• Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese then microwave for 3-4 minutes longer until thermometer inserted into filling read 160°F.
• Serve with warmed up marinara sauce for each serving for dipping.

STUFFED ZUCCHINI

Steps:

• Cut zucchini in half lengthwise. Scoop out seeds if they are large.
• Blanch shell 8-10 minutes. Scoop out zucchini, leaving 1/2 inch shell. Chop zucchini that you scooped out.
• Brown sausage, onion, and chopped zucchini.
• Add all seasonings, bread crumbs, and cheese.
• Stuff zucchini shells.
• Pour sauce over all and bake 30 minutes at 375°F.

BALSAMIC STUFFED ROUND ZUCCHINI

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 180°C.
• Put the tomatoes, chopped mushroom, garlic, onion and oregano into a bowl. Mix to combine and add the balsamic vinegar, mixing until well combined. Leave to stand for 30 minutes.
• Cut the zucchini in half lengthways, and using a teaspoon scoop out and discard the pulp.
• Heap the tomato mixture into the scooped out shells.
• Grind over salt and pepper to taste, drizzle over the olive oil, and top with the parmesan cheese.
• Bake for 45 minutes or until the shell just starts to go soft.