Creamy Meat-Stuffed Zucchini |
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Prep Time: 30 Minutes Cook Time: 50 Minutes |
Ready In: 80 Minutes Servings: 4 |
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Zucchini stuffed with a creamy meat filling is a wonderful variation from the Italian sauce, specially when you can find (or grow) big zucchinis in season. Ingredients:
2 large thick zucchinis, ends trimmed |
1 teaspoon vegetable oil |
1/2 onion, chopped |
3 cloves garlic, minced |
3/4 pound ground beef |
1/2 teaspoon ground paprika |
2 tablespoons butter |
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour |
3/4 cup milk |
1/4 teaspoon white pepper |
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg, or to taste |
salt to taste |
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided |
Directions:
1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and immerse the zucchini in the boiling water. Set heat to medium, and cook the zucchini until they feel slightly soft when pressed with a wooden spoon, about 20 minutes. Drain the zucchini, and set aside to cool.
2. Heat the vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat, and cook and stir the onion and garlic until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the ground beef, and cook and stir the meat, breaking it up as it cooks, until the beef is no longer pink, about 8 minutes. Stir in the paprika, and set the beef mixture aside.
3. Cut the zucchinis in half lengthwise, and scoop out the flesh with a spoon, leaving a 1/2-inch thick shell. Chop the scooped-out zucchini flesh, and mix into the ground beef mixture.
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
5. In a saucepan over low heat, melt the butter and whisk in the flour until smooth. Pour in the milk, a little at a time, and bring the mixture to a simmer, whisking constantly. Whisk in white pepper, nutmeg, and salt, and stir in half the Parmesan cheese to create a smooth sauce. Mix the white sauce thoroughly with the ground beef mixture. Place the zucchini halves into a baking dish. Fill the zucchini shells with the creamy beef mixture, and sprinkle each with about 1 1/2 tablespoons of the remaining Parmesan cheese.
6. Bake in the preheated oven until the Parmesan cheese topping begins to turn golden brown, about 15 minutes.
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