Crispy Stuffed Zucchini Recipes

CRISPY ZUCCHINI FLOWERS STUFFED WITH RICOTTA AND MINT

Steps:

• These stuffed zucchini flowers look and taste amazing! Make sure they're eaten straightaway, while they're still crisp and hot. If you can't get hold of any flowers you can still make the recipe using just the zucchini - it will be like an Italian tempura.
• Beat the ricotta in a bowl with the nutmeg, the Parmesan, lemon zest and most of the chopped mint and chiles. Season carefully, with salt and pepper, to taste.
• To make a lovely light batter, put the flour into a mixing bowl with a good pinch of salt. Pour in the white wine and whisk until thick and smooth. At this point the consistency of the batter should be like heavy cream or, if you dip your finger in, it should stick to your finger and nicely coat it. If it's too thin, add a bit more flour; if it's too thick, add a little more wine.
• Open the zucchini flowers up gently, keeping them attached to the zucchini, and snip off the pointed stamen inside because these taste bitter. Give the flowers a gentle rinse if you like.
• With a teaspoon, carefully fill each flower with the ricotta mixture. Or, as I prefer to do, spoon the ricotta into the corner of a sandwich bag. Snip 1/2-inch off the corner and use this as a makeshift piping bag to gently squeeze the filling into each flower, until just full. Carefully press the flowers back together around the mixture to seal it in. Then put the flowers aside. (Any leftover ricotta can be smeared on hot crostini as a snack!)
• Now for the deep-frying bit. Get everyone out of the way if you can and make sure there are no kids around. Have tongs or a spider ready for lifting the flowers out of the oil, and a plate with a double layer of paper towels on it for draining. Pour the oil into a deep fat fryer or large deep saucepan so it's about 4 inches deep. Heat it up to 350 degrees F or, if using a saucepan, put in your piece of potato. As soon as the potato turns golden, floats to the surface and starts to sizzle, the oil is just about the right temperature. Remove the potato from the pan.
• One by one, dip the zucchini with their ricotta-stuffed flowers into the batter, making sure they're completely covered, and gently let any excess drip off. Carefully release them, away from you, into the hot oil. Quickly batter another 1 or 2 flowers and any small zucchini (or parsley) leaves if you have any - but don't crowd the pan too much otherwise they'll stick together. Fry until golden and crisp all over, then lift them out of the oil and drain on the paper towels. Remove to a plate or board and sprinkle with a good pinch of salt and the remaining chile and mint. Serve with half a lemon to squeeze over. Bloody delicious. Eat them quick!
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STUFFED ZUCCHINI WITH CHEESY BREADCRUMBS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Place bread in a food processor, pulse until crumbs form, and set aside.
• Cut zucchini in half lengthwise, and scoop pulp out leaving a 1/4 inch thick shell.
• Chop pulp.
• Place zucchini halves cut side up on a baking sheet, lined with parchment paper, and sprinkle with 1/8 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper.
• Heat oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat, and add zucchini pulp, and onion, and saute for 5 minutes.
• Add add remaining salt, pepper, artichoke hearts, thyme, and garlic and cook 45 seconds.
• Add wine, cook 1 minute.
• Combine breadcrumbs, and onion mixture in a large bowl, and stir in cheese and remaining ingredients.
• Spoon 1/2 cup breadcrumb mixture into each zucchini shell.
• Bake 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until just tender.

DROP DEAD DELICIOUS STUFFED ZUCCHINI

Steps:

• Wash zucchini, and put in a pot of cold water (do not remove ends).
• Bring to a boil and cook until tender, about 10-15 minutes, maybe a little longer depending on the size of your zucchini.
• Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a fairly large skillet.
• Saute garlic first, then add onions, green pepper, thyme, and oregano.
• When the veggies begin to soften, add ground meat (or whatever you are using), season with salt and pepper, and brown until cooked through.
• Drain off any excess grease.
• Set aside to cool slightly.
• When the zucchini have cooked through, remove from water, and allow to cool enough to handle.
• Slice cooled zucchini lengthwise, and scoop out center, leaving a little veggie flesh to form a"boat.
• "Mix ground meat mixture with the red peppers, and the scooped out zucchini (chopped), and the egg.
• Fill the zucchini boats with the mixture, and top each with a slice of cheese.
• Bake in a 375ºF oven for 20-30 minutes, until heated through, and cheese begins to bubble and brown.
• Serve hot.
• Note: If making this dish with tuna or fish, I like to add a little mayo or garlic mayo, and substitute the raw egg for a hard boiled and chopped one.

STUFFED ZUCCHINI

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Trim stems from zucchini and slice lengthwise. Scoop out seeds and put in a bowl. Mix seeds with sausage, garlic, bread crumbs, and Parmesan cheese. Stuff squash with sausage mixture and place in a 9x13 inch baking pan. Pour spaghetti sauce over the top and cover the pan with foil.
• Bake in preheated oven until sausage is browned and cooked through, about 45 minutes. Remove foil and cover with mozzarella cheese. Return to the oven and cook until cheese is melted, about 15 minutes more.

STUFFED ZUCCHINI

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine first 11 ingredients and 1 can of the tomato sauce; mix well. Stir in tomatoes. Halve zucchini lengthwise; scoop out seeds. Fill with meat mixture; place in two 13x9-in. baking dishes. Spoon remaining tomato sauce over each. , Bake, uncovered, at 375° until the zucchini is tender, about 45 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese during the last few minutes of baking.

EASY STUFFED ZUCCHINI

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Cook and stir the ground beef in a skillet over medium heat until the meat is browned, breaking the beef up into crumbles as it cooks, about 10 minutes. Drain off excess fat, and transfer the beef into a mixing bowl. Slice the zucchini in half the long way, and use a spoon to scoop out the flesh, leaving a 1/2-inch thick shell all around the zucchini. Chop the scooped-out zucchini flesh, and add to mixing bowl. Stir in the bread crumbs, garlic, spaghetti sauce, black olives, and Parmesan cheese; mix the stuffing well. Lightly stuff both halves of the zucchini with the meat mixture. Place the zucchini halves into a baking dish, and cover tightly with foil.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes, remove from oven, and remove the foil. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese over each zucchini half. Move an oven rack to within 6 inches of the oven broiler's heat source, turn on the broiler, and broil the zucchini until the mozzarella cheese is browned and bubbling, about 5 minutes.

CRISPY BACON WRAPPED STUFFED ZUCCHINI #RSC

Steps:

• Directions - Ground beef mix.
• 1. Use meat from Italian sausage and mix with ground beef.
• 2. Add bread crumb, diced shitake mushrooms, eggs, garlic powder, ground pepper, brown sugar, shredded Parmigiano cheese, parsley, oregano, 1 teaspoon salt, and mix well with above.
• Directions - Zucchini sections.
• 1. Cut zucchini in sections about 1 3/8" each.
• 2. Core each section center seeds out.
• 3. Fill each section with stuffing of ground beef mix from above.
• Directions - Bacon rings.
• 1. Using heavy duty non-stick Reynolds aluminum foil to wrap around card board tubes, some round and some square, to make round bacon rings for zucchini and square bacon rings for couscous.
• 2. Wrap 2 layers of bacon rushers tightly on foil tubes above and bake in 350F oven until crispy. Put tray under the bacon to catch all bacon fat and drippings. The tray should have some water to prevent the dripping from drying out.
• 3. Remove cardboard tube under the aluminum foil, and remove foil. The crispy bacon rings should detach from the foil easily.
• 4. Insert stuffed zucchini sections into round bacon rings and bake in 300F oven on a pan. About 20 minutes until internal temperature reaches 160°F.
• 5. Collect juice from the baking of the stuffed zucchinis in the pan.
• Directions - two sauces, each to be enjoyed by guest separately or combined.
• Corn sauce.
• 1. Cut kernels from two ears of fresh corn, about one cup.
• 2. Collect juices from the bacon drippings, and from the baking of stuffed zucchinis and mix with corn kernels.
• 3. To above, mix heavy cream, garlic powder, chopped onion, salt and wine. Use a hand blender to Purée all into a creamy sauce.
• 4. Simmer the above for 10 minutes.
• Black garlic sauce (Optional).
• 1. Peel all black garlic cloves.
• 2. Mix black garlic with Balsamic vinegar, a pinch of salt and Olive oil and blend with hand blender. The mixture will become a sweet pure black sauce of ketchup consistency.
• Couscous.
• 1. Make couscous any style you prefer,.
• 2. and stuff couscous in crispy square bacon rings and serve with stuffed zucchinis.
• Photos show suggested plating serving suggestion.