Stuffed Zucchini

Side view after it had been cut.

This idea started while I was still at the beach, I was reading an issue of Grit magazine when I came an article on what to do when you have to many or to big of zucchini. The one that stood out the most was the Stuffed Zucchini. After returning home and seeing I had quite a few large zucchini this recipe was a no-brainer! It turned out better than I had expected with the zucchini being very tender and the stuffing had prefect favoring to match it.

Ingredients: 

• 1 zucchini, 12 to 18 inches
• 1⁄2 to 1 pound ground beef or meatloaf mix (equal amounts beef, pork and veal)
• 1 can (14 to 16 ounces) corn, drained, or 1 box (16 ounces) frozen corn, thawed and drained, or leftovers (any amount) from corn on the cob
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 green pepper, diced
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 3 to 4 eggs
• 1 box stuffing mix
• Black pepper or crushed red pepper to taste
• Grated or sliced mozzarella cheese

**When I made this, the said amount of ingredients made enough stuffing to stuff four halves of 14 inch zucchini, so do some experimenting to find out how much it'll make for you.**

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease 9-by-13-inch baking dish; set aside.
2. Wash zucchini and place on cutting board. Cut off each end and slice zucchini in half lengthwise. Use tablespoon or serving spoon to scoop out seeds and make a hollow in each half. Place, hollow side up, in prepared dish.
3. In large bowl, combine remaining ingredients, except cheese. Spoon into zucchini hollows. Add water around zucchini to 1-inch depth.
4. Cover dish with foil, and bake for 1 to 2 hours, or until zucchini is tender.
5. Remove foil, and top each zucchini hollow with cheese. Bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted.