When I was a young girl, sometimes my mom would make stuffed zucchini. She hasn’t made them for years, but this week when I received Zucchini in my FFTY box, I thought of them, and decided to give whipping up something similar a chance. I didn’t want to go in the same direction as the Stuffed Bell Peppers I made last week – so instead of using rice, I decided to use up some of day-old No Knead Bread I had left over.  

Because zucchini’s have a lot of moisture, and I didn’t want to add any extra moisture, I decided to salt and drain the zucchini beforehand – it was a tip that I had seen on the kitchn recently, which was definitely one of those Aha! moments for me – like “duh… of course you can salt and drain zucchini”. Next time I want to hollow out zukes though, I’m going to throw on a movie and do it earlier in the day. It took me a little longer than I thought it would. 

I also think I may have hollowed them just a little too far, since they didn’t hold their shape as well as I might have hoped after baking, but they were still absolutely delish. Anyhow – unlike other stuffing style dishes I’ve made – this time I did not toast the bread crumbs – the bread crust was chewy enough to add some texture, and the softer pieces absorbed the moisture and melded beautifully with the other ingredients. 

Ingredients: 

• 6 Zucchini
• 3 cups day old bread cubes
• 1 lb Ground Lamb
• 1 small Red Onion; diced
• 4 cloves Garlic; finely minced
• 1/4 cup Catsup
• 1/4 cup Ricotta
• 1 egg
• 1 tbs Butter
• 1 tbs Fresh Rosemary; finely minced
• 1 tbs Fresh Thyme; finely minced
• 1 tsp Kosher Salt + more for zucchini prep

Method: 

• Wash and cut the zucchini in half. 
• Lay each zucchini halve, cut side down, on the cutting board, and use a paring knife or peeler to cut a piece of the skin off to create a flat platform for each boat to lay on.
• Flip Zucchini’s over, and scoop out pulp
• Generously salt each side of the zucchini’s and place on a rack over the sink to drain for 1-2 hours
• While the zucchini are draining, assemble the stuffing. 
• Melt the butter over medium heat in a skillet
• Add the onions and saute until translucent
• Stir in the garlic, thyme, and rosemary and remove from heat
• In a large mixing bowl, mix together the onion mixutre, lamb, bread cubes, ricotta, catsup, 1 tsp of Kosher salt and egg
• Refrigerate atleast 1 hour
• When ready to stuff, preheat oven to 350° and pat each zucchini boat dry with a towel
• Scoop stuffing in to the zucchini, and place on a oiled baking sheet
• Bake for 20 minutes, or until stuffing is golden brown.