Zucchini, the vegetable that keeps on giving and giving even when we might not appreciate its generosity. I think we could learn a lot from this hardy, versatile vegetable. I have made stuffed zucchini often and enjoy changing it up a lot but this recipe could basically be featured on “Chopped”. I used half of a zucchini that was left from a different dish and the rest of the stuffing from what I had on hand. The marinara sauce was left over too but just a little short so I added a tomato to kind of help it out.
I am in my happy place cooking when I have to use what I have or improvise. My family wouldn’t always appreciate my creativity but to me its more fun. Now that it’s just me I usually cook for I get to do this without any sighs, blank stares and put on smiles. Yes, my kids were good sports, and I am so blessed.
And blessed to have zucchini so lets get to todays recipe.
As You can see I was not stretching the truth about all the little odds and ends do make it work.
Stuffed Zucchini:
1 or 2 Zucchini depending on size of the squash
1 Green Bell Pepper diced
1small Tomato
1/4 of a white Onion diced
6 cloves of Garlic diced
1 cup a Marinara Sauce
1 cup of cooked Quinoa
1 cup of grated Cheese
1-2 Tablespoon of Olive Oil
Cut the center of the zucchini length into two strips and width slice across all the way down but not all the way through leaving a shallow bottom of the zucchini. Scoop out the bite sized pieces setting aside. Next dice green bell pepper, tomato, zucchini, onion and garlic. Add the olive oil to a skillet and turn on to a med/high, add veggies and sauté until the union is almost translucent then add marinara sauce. Simmer for a few minutes add quinoa cooking just long enough that all ingredients come together. Take of heat spoon into zucchini shells that are in a 13×9 baking dish with water in the bottom then top with cheese. Cover and bake at 350 for about 45 minutes. After 30 minutes take of cover and let cheese brown for the remainder of 15 minutes. The zucchini is done when it is tender and the stuffing is bubbly.
Cut into serving pieces, serve and enjoy.
