Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Stuffed Zucchini with Mushrooms, Brown Rice, and Tomatoes

My mother-in-law gave us a huge zucchini from her garden. Right away I thought, “I’ll fill that.” In the past, I filled zucchini with different meat fillings, but I wanted to do something different this time and use the veggies that I had around. 


Stuffed Zucchini with Mushrooms, Brown Rice, and Tomatoes


Ingredients
  • 1 large zucchini
  • 5 ounces mushrooms, diced
  • 1/2 onion, diced
  • 1 clove of garlic, minced
  • 2 tomatoes, diced
  • 3/4 cup brown rice, cooked
  • 1 egg (not pictured above)
  • Tomato sauce, about 1 cup
  • Shredded sharp cheddar cheese, about 1/4 cup
  • Salt, to taste
  • Pepper, to taste
  • Olive oil
Tip: If you have a little helper, make sure he doesn’t eat all your cheese. I had to refill it 3 times!!!



Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Coat the bottom of a casserole dish with tomato sauce.
  3. Cut zucchini in half and take out the middle with a spoon, sprinkle with salt and pepper and put into the casserole dish.
  4. Spray a sauté pan with olive oil and add the mushrooms, tomatoes, and onions. Sauté for a few minutes.
  5. Add the garlic and sauté for a few more minutes.
  6. Add the cooked rice to the pan. [Great way to use leftover rice or other grains.]
  7. Season with salt and pepper.
  8. Let the mixture cool and then add the egg.
  9. Fill the zucchini halves with the filling.
  10. Sprinkle with cheese.
  11. Bake for about 50 – 55 minutes. [While baking, coat the outside of the zucchini with the tomato sauce a few times so that the zucchini cooks evenly and doesn’t get dry.]
Cook and prep time: 1.25 hours
Servings: About 4


We all really enjoyed this dish (and hubby actually surprised me by saying he liked it just as much as the eggplant casserole). I think it’s a great dish for someone who is trying to eat less meat (or trying to introduce others to eating less meat). The mushroom/rice filling is very hearty, and if you are used to zucchini filled with meat, you really won’t miss the meat in this dish. Well, at least we don’t.

Questions: Do you like zucchini? What’s your favorite zucchini recipe? Feel free to link in the comments.

Be well,
Andrea