Sassy Stuffed Zucchini

 

These zucchini are so absolutely wonderful that I insist that you make them.  Now.  I had some zucchini in my fridge that needed to get used up, along with a roma tomato and a half of a purple onion.  After searching for a recipe for a while, I stumbled across a recipe on CooksIllustrated.com that sounded pretty darn tasty.  I altered it a little to fit our tastes and what we had on-hand.  I wasn't sure at first how the red potato would work on the zucchini, but it turned out to be super tasty. 

Everything tastes so fresh and light, but is still very filling.  We ended up eating the zucchini as the main dish, with sides of garlic smashed potatoes, sauteed summer squash, and steamed carrot and cauliflower.  So, without further ado,...

Here's My Recipe:

Ingredients:

• 4 small to medium sized zucchini
• 1 large red potato (or 2 small), peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 3-4 TB olive oil
• 1/4-1/2 cup chopped onion (depending on your tastes)
• 1-2 ripe roma tomato(es), seeded and diced (we just used 1, but it almost wasn't enough)
• about 4 fresh basil leaves chopped small
• 4 ounces shredded vegan cheese of your choosing
• 3 large cloves garlic, minced

Method: (I know it seems like a lot of steps, but I broke it down to be extra simple and easy to follow)

1. Preheat oven to 400.  Place one rack on very bottom, place second rack on the second-highest rack. Place rimmed cookie sheets (I placed foil on cookie sheets) on each rack so they are nice and hot before you add the food to them.
2. Trim ends of zucchini and halve lengthwise.  Use a small spoon to dig out the seeds and some flesh so the shells are about 1/4 inch thick.
3. Use about 1 TB oil and brush each each side of the zucchini, then add sea salt and cracked pepper to each side.  (I started with cut sides up, brushed on the oil, topped with s&p then flipped them cut side down and did the same).
4. Once you've chopped the potatoes, add them to a small bowl and lightly coat with olive oil, salt and pepper.  Toss well to coat.
5. Once the cookie sheets have heated to 400 degrees, carefully place the bottom one on a counter or the stovetop.  Place the zucchini on sheet cut side down.  Place sheet back in the oven.
6. Remove the top cookie sheet and place potatoes on it in a single layer.  Place back in the oven.
7. These will cook about 10-13 minutes.  Watch the zucchini and when the skin begins to wrinkle, pull them out.  If you poke with a fork, they will still be sturdy, but soft enough to pierce.
8. Use tongs to flip zucchini over and set the cookie sheet aside while you work on the next part.  Here I also pulled the potatoes out and stirred them around to unstick them from the foil.  I turned the oven down to 350 and put the potatoes back in to stay warm while I worked on the fillings.
9. In a 10-inch small skillet, add about 1 TB olive oil and heat pan on medium heat about 2-3 minutes.  Then add onion, stirring occasionally for about 8 minutes.
10. While onions are cooking, remove potatoes from oven and scrape to clear from the foil.  I left them on the foil so I could just scoop into the skillet in a few moments.
11. After the onions turn slightly translucent and brown on the edges, stir in garlic.  Cook 30 seconds.
12. Add potatoes and tomatoes, stirring occasionally.  Cook about 3 minutes.
13. Remove from heat and stir in basil, 2/3 of the cheese and any salt or pepper you may want.
14. Once cheese is melted, scoop filling into the zucchini shells, pressing down to pack the hollows to heaping full.
15. Sprinkle the remainder of the cheese on top of the zucchini and return to oven for about 5-7 minutes, or until cheese melts.  
16. Serve immediately to a very thankful world!!

Let me know how you like them.  Also, any suggestions you might have for alternate toppings for the zucchini.  I can't wait to hear how other people like these!