No offense to the summer squash lovers out there, but quite frankly, I find zucchini a bit boring. Not that boring is necessarily a bad thing. Boring is what makes Zucchini so versatile. From soups to desserts, the common garden variety zucchini has the ability to morph into practically anything we want.
So, with a bushel-full of boring that needed some pizzazz, (I’m only kidding about the bushel. I’m an alliteration addict, so work with me) I set out to find a standout recipe. Now, I admit, Stuffed Zucchini is not all that original but I had never made it before and filling boring with lots of tasty ingredients really appealed to me. When I finally found the recipe that follows, I thought I might have a winner and sure enough, I did. The only modification I made is in the number of squash. The original recipe called for 6 summer squash and I found 3 was the perfect number. Maybe their squash were really tiny. Mine were fairly small, you can see in the image above.
Ingredients
3 medium summer squash
1 Tbs. unsalted butter
1 Tbs. olive oil
1 C. finely diced onion
2 tsp. minced garlic
2 lg. squash blossoms (optional)
1 C. whole-milk ricotta cheese
1/3 C. grated parmesan cheese
3 Tbs. dry bread crumbs
1 lg. egg, beaten
2 Tbs. minced marjoram or basil
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. freshly ground pepper
Preheat the oven to 375 F. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Slice squash in half lengthwise. Scrape out seeds and discard. Slice a little off bottoms so squash rest flat, cut side up. In a skillet, heat butter and oil over medium heat. Cook onion and garlic until soft. Add squash blossoms, if using; sauté 1 minute. Transfer to a bowl and cool slightly. Stir in ricotta, ¼ C. of Parmesan, 2 Tbs. bread crumbs, egg, marjoram, salt, and pepper until blended. Spoon into squash shells. Sprinkle remaining Parmesan and bread crumbs over tops. Bake 25 minutes, until sides are tender; broil 3 minutes, until tops are golden. Serve hot. Click Here for the Original Recipes: Stuffed Summer Squash.
I’d love to hear about your favorite way to serve Zucchini whether in chili or cheesecake (ew) leave us a comment with your suggestions.
Deborah Smith , Founder and Executive Editor of JerseyBites.com. Launched in 2007 as a home for her growing collection of recipes, Jersey Bites soon grew into a hub for all things edible in the Garden State. Deborah is also the owner ofParents With Nannies, Inc. which operates a network of nanny employment websites established in 1999. In her spare time, (Ha) she works as a Social Media consultant and speaker. You can learn more about her services and marketing through social media on her blogwww.DeborahLSmith.com
