Mediterranean Stuffed Zucchini

Here's a delicious way to solve the problem of those too-big zucchinis ballooning in your garden at the end of the summer: zucchini boats baked and stuffed with lamb, feta, pine nuts, tomatoes, and more. It's just like your mother used to make, but with an exotic Mediterranean twist!

• Preparation Time: 20 mins
• Cooking Time: 50 mins
• Total Time: 1 hr 10 mins
• Calories: 649 Calories

Ingredients

• ¼ cup water
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ground black pepper to taste
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• ½ cup pine nuts
• ¾ cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
• 1 sweet onion, chopped
• ¾ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 pound ground lamb
• coarse salt to taste
• 1 (16 ounce) can tomato sauce
• ¾ cup seasoned bread crumbs
• 1 extra large zucchini, halved lengthwise
• ¼ cup mint leaves

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).

Step 2

Use a melon baller to separate and remove seeds and pulp separately from the zucchini, carving out each half and leaving about a half-inch shell. Chop zucchini pulp into pieces about 1/4 inch in diameter. Discard seeds.

Step 3

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook and stir onion and garlic in hot oil until tender, about 5 minutes. Add ground lamb; continue to cook and stir until lamb is lightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir chopped zucchini into the lamb mixture. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer mixture until the zucchini is hot, about 3 minutes. Drain excess grease. Season lamb mixture with coarse salt and black pepper.

Step 4

Remove skillet from heat. Stir tomato sauce, tomatoes, feta cheese, pine nuts, and 1/4 cup mint leaves through the lamb mixture; spoon into the zucchini halves. Put stuffed zucchini halves into a large baking dish. Pour water into the baking dish.

Step 5

Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes. Mix bread crumbs and mozzarella cheese in a bowl. Sprinkle 1/4 cup mint leaves over the zucchini and top with the bread crumb mixture. Continue baking until the top is crusty and browned, about 10 minutes more.