When I met Daniel thirteen years ago, his idea of a vegetable was a side of french fries (to be fair, so was mine). Several years ago I made stuffed peppers for the blog and put the leftovers in the fridge. Daniel ate them at night after I had gone to bed and I woke up the next morning and I noticed there were two hollowed out peppers in the trash. I asked him why he didn’t eat the peppers and if there was something wrong with them. He said he didn’t realize you were supposed to eat them. He thought it was just a decorative way to serve them. I love this man.
He’s come a long way since then, friends, let me tell you. And one of his favorite vegetables now is zucchini. We bake it, fry it, put it in salads, turn it into noodles (it’s like Bubba from Forrest Gump, if he grew up on a zucchini farm). I thought I’d recreate those stuffed peppers he liked using a zucchini. They’re easy to roast before stuffing and I find zucchini a little tastier than the peppers, but that’s me. I love how it tastes roasted, and the fact that it’s mild enough to let the spiced beef mixture shine :)
Enjoy!
Stuffed Zucchini
Ingredients
- 4 medium zucchini
- 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 small red onion finely chopped
- 1 bell pepper any color, finely chopped
- 1 pound extra lean ground beef
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 2 large eggs lightly beaten
- 1 avocado pitted and diced
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- Cut the zucchini in half lengthwise and use a spoon to scoop out the seeds and part of the flesh, leaving a ¼-inch-thick shell. Place the zucchini cut side-up on the baking sheet. Spray with cooking spray and bake for 15 minutes, or until just tender enough to be easily pierced with a fork.
- In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until just beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the beef and cook, breaking it up with a spatula, until browned and cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and ketchup. Add the eggs and stir to combine with the beef mixture
- Spoon the beef into the zucchini boats. Bake until warm throughout, 15 to 20 minutes. Top with diced avocado and serve immediately.
I’m confused – do you boil or bake the zucchini? Or both? If it’s already tender out of the oven, wouldn’t it turn to mush if you boiled it??
Hi Kate! So sorry–my flub! I’ve updated the recipe :)
Got it! Thank you!! Can’t wait to try.
Looks great! In your photo it looks like you have a chopped herb on top of the beef and avocado- parsley perhaps? What do you recommend? Can’t wait to try this recipe!
Sounds wonderful! I was surprised about the eggs. Do you stir those in after you turn the heat off?
Yum!! My husband is the exact same way. I have hidden gifts (fancy chocolate bar or imported beer to try) for him under the vegetables in the veggie drawer and he’s not seen them! Can’t wait to try this. Thanks, Andie!
This is so yummy. I fry up the scooped out zucchini with the onion. I found it so creamy – no need for sour cream. Thanks – it will be a winner in my household.
I tried this and it was yummy. The seasonings gave the beef a great flavor. If I wanted to swap out the beef and make it vegan, what would you suggest? Lentils maybe?
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Hello. This recipe looks delicious. Where do I find the nutritional information?
So good! I sprinkled garlic powder on the cut/scooped zucchini before spraying it and baking it the first time. Followed the rest to the recipe, although I added lime juice and a pinch of salt to the cut avocado out of habit. :) My husband and devoured them.
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