Stuffed Round Zucchini
Stuffed round zucchini, or 8-ball zucchini, is a hearty dinner recipe made with beef, tomato sauce, rice, and Italian seasoning. A fun twist on classic stuffed zucchini boats!
Servings: 2 servings or more
Calories: 531kcal
Ingredients
- 2 medium round zucchini
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ small onion, diced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 8 ounces ground beef
- 8 ounces tomato sauce
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 1 cup cooked white rice
- ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly grease a casserole dish that will fit your round zucchini and set aside.
- Cut diagonal slices around the stem of each round zucchini, then pop the stem off. Use a metal spoon or melon baller to scoop the zucchini flesh out and discard (or save for another recipe). Leave about ¼" of flesh attached to the skin around the edges and bottom.
- Place into prepared casserole dish and bake for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a skillet over medium heat, add olive oil. Add diced onion and cook for about 3-4 minutes, or until edges begin to brown. Add garlic and cook an additional 30 seconds. Crumble ground beef into pan and cook until browned. Remove from heat. Add tomato sauce, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and rice. Stir to combine.
- Spoon prepared filling into your zucchini. Top with shredded cheese. Bake for about 10-15 minutes, or until zucchini can easily be pierced through with a fork.
Recommended Equipment
Notes
- To use regular zucchini - Cut the stems off three medium zucchini, then slice in half lengthwise. Using a spoon, carefully scape out some of the flesh from each zucchini half and discard (or save for another recipe). Then, continue as written above.
- To use bell peppers - Slice three bell peppers in half and scoop out seeds and innards. When par-baking in step 3, bake for 20 minutes instead of the listed 10 minutes). Then, continue as written above.
- The listed filling may fill more than two round zucchini - this depends entirely on the size of the zucchini you have on hand. Round zucchini can also be sliced in half to make four classic zucchini boats.
Nutrition Estimate
Serving: 1zucchini | Calories: 531kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 99mg | Sodium: 1081mg | Potassium: 764mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 693IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 198mg | Iron: 4mg