In my quest to increase my family’s vegetable consumption, I make it a point to cook with my children so they see the veggies going into the dishes. The Stuffed Zucchini, on page 206, Another Taste of Aloha, in the Vegetables section, was a perfect opportunity to let my son help me in the kitchen.
He loves to stir and press buttons, so this recipe was made for him (he’s two-and-a-half, after all). After we chopped the onions, it was just a matter of sauteing and adding ingredients to the pan and stirring, which he enjoyed. His shining moment was the making of the bread crumbs – he was so pleased with himself for whirring up the wheat bread in the food processor and proceeded to eat most of the crumbs, proclaiming proudly “I made the bread crumbs, Mommy!” (As a side note, the bread crumbs were the only part of this recipe he ate).
The zucchini was tender and flavorful, and the filling was hearty and delicious. I highly recommend this side dish!
Crispy-crunchy tender veggie thing of beauty
Stuffed Zucchini
Ingredients:
- 2 large zucchini
- 1/2 onion, chopped
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 pound tomatoes, peeled, seeded and coarsely chopped
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon buttered bread crumbs
Preheat over to 325 degrees. Trim the ends of the zucchini, slice length-wise and hollow out, leaving a slight bottom to hold the filling. Reserve the zucchini pulp. Cook zucchini shells in boiling salted water until barely tender. Drain. Sauté the onion in butter. Add zucchini pulp, tomatoes, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper and cook, gently stirring, until the mixture becomes thick. Fill the zucchini shells with the tomato-zucchini mixture and place in a shallow baking pan. Sprinkle with bread crumbs. Cover and bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until heated through. Garnish with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
Serves 4.
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