Stuffed Zucchini

LeDonna sent me a picture of the stuffed zucchini she made for dinner, I immediately made it for us because it sounded so good and her pic was so pretty. I've stuffed zucchini before but haven't seen the technique used here of chopping up the insides of the zucchini and using it in the stuffing - seeds and all! Delicious.

 

3 medium zucchini (about 1 1/2 pounds)

1 medium onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup)

1/4 cup butter

1 small green pepper, chopped (about 1/2 cup)

1 jar (2 ounces) diced pimiento, drained

1 cup herb-seasoned stuffing mix

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Heat 2 inches salted water (1/2 teaspoon salt to 1 cup water) to boiling. Add zucchini. Cover and heat to boiling. Cook just until tender, 8 to 10 minutes; drain. Cool slightly; cut each zucchini lengthwise into halves. Spoon out pulp; chop coarsely. Place zucchini, cut sides up, in uncreased 11 x 7 x 1.5"  baking pan. Alternatively, you can microwave the zucchini instead of boiling it - put in microwavable dish, cover tightly, microwave 5 minutes. Turn zucchini, re-cover, microwave an additional 2-4 minutes. 

we aren't fans of green peppers, so I substituted
chopped celery to give it some crunch. 

Cook and stir onion in butter in 10" skillet until tender. Stir in chopped pulp, green pepper, pimiento, and stuffing mix. Divide stuffing mixture amount zucchini halves. Sprinkle each with about 1 tablespoon cheese. Cook uncovered in 350' oven until hot and cheese is melted, 25 to 30 minutes. 

LeDonna sent me the recipe from this un-named cookbook,
I don't know who to credit for the original recipe. 

Her photo before adding the cheese. She sliced the zucchini in manageable
pieces before baking it because she was using one of those really big ones instead
of the 3 medium sized the recipe calls for. 

Happy moment ~ saw our neighbor's turtles sitting on their rocks, Leo had his hand on Leona like he was giving her a boost (or telling her to get her big butt out of the way!)