Make Ahead

Italian Stuffed Zucchini

by:
August  4, 2011
4
5 Ratings
Italian Stuffed Zucchini
  • Serves 6
Author Notes

My brother's garden exploded with giant zucchini this week - you know, the 5 pound toddler variety. I really needed to use it up with stuff I already had in the pantry, garden and freezer. Luckily, I had everything I needed on hand. Turned out great, and you could make a zillion variations on this dish, but it makes a great meal with a green salad or Caprese Salad. —Burnt Offerings

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 1 large (4-5 pound) zucchini, or 4 smaller ones.
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 medium yellow onion - finely chopped
  • 4 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 pound sweet italian bulk sausage (or hot)
  • 1 cup cooked rice
  • 1/4 cup minced fresh herbs: basil, oregano, dill and thyme
  • 4 ounces package of smoked sun dried tomatoes, sliced thinly
  • 4 ounces crumbled feta cheese
  • 1 large egg, lightly beaten
  • 1 cup homemade or purchased marinara sauce
  • 1/4 cup grated parmesan or pecorino romano cheese
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 375. Remove the ends of the zucchini, carefully slice it in half lengthwise, and scoop out all the seeds and membranes. Discard the seeds and set zucchini aside.
  2. Sweat the onion and garlic in the olive oil until translucent, set aside to cool.
  3. In a large bowl, mix the sausage, rice, herbs, tomatoes, and feta cheese. Add the lightly beaten egg and mix well.
  4. Pour a 1/4 cup of marinara sauce in the bottom of a 9"x13" baking dish or casserole large enough to hold the zucchini.
  5. Divide the stuffing in half and mound it into the zucchini halves. Place the stuffed zucchini in the casserole, pour another 1/4 cup of sauce over the top of the zucchinis.
  6. Cover dish with aluminum foil and place in the center of oven for 30 minutes.
  7. After 30 minutes, remove foil, sprinkle the parmesan cheese on the top of zucchini halves and place back in the oven, uncovered for another 30 minutes.
  8. Remove from oven, and serve with additional cheese and sauce.
Tags:

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • inpatskitchen
    inpatskitchen
  • doctorjan
    doctorjan
  • ErinL
    ErinL

Popular on Food52

3 Reviews

doctorjan
doctorjan October 25, 2023
If you don't pre-cook the zucchini halves, then they won't be soft enough after you're done. Your other option is to bake them for at least 60 minutes. I baked mine for 90 (60 covered, 30 not) and they were perfect. Also, the recipe doesn't say how long to leave the sweated onions and garlic sitting on your counter after you've finished. I threw mine out after a day and a half. Next time, I'm going to try mixing them into the filling right after the eggs are added. Otherwise, these were delicious.
 
ErinL
ErinL September 15, 2021
This was quite tasty, but the zucchini was still way too firm when the filling and cheese was done. Next time, I would put the zucchini cut side down on a sheet tray, cover it with foil, and cook it by itself for 20-30 minutes before adding the filling, recovering, and finishing.
 
inpatskitchen
inpatskitchen August 5, 2011
Yum!! This is my kind of meal!!