How to Make Stuffed Zucchini

Moving to a new city has allowed me to explore avenues that I never really had the chance to do at home. I get to experiment with so many recipes because my aunt absolutely LOVES cooking. Guess who will be taking up another talent in Naperville? This girl!

I wanted to start a recipe series, not only because I want to experiment other foods, but because learning how to cook is a lifetime necessity. Hopefully my future husband likes to cook, because being creative in the kitchen is not my forte.

The first food I got to explore, after my aunt made it a few times, was the Stuffed Zucchini. SOO YUM! She actually found the idea in Pinterest, so this shall be interesting.

Here goes nothing!!!

Side note: I wrote the steps in each photo, in case you wanted that as reference. All photos are in chronological order!

Ingredients:

• fresh zucchini- we bought 5 because we have a big family and we use it for lunch the next days as leftovers.
• 1 medium onion
• 2 small cloves of garlic
• 1 pound of beef
• Parsley
• ½ tablespoon of salt
• ½ tablespoon of ground pepper
• ½ tablespoon of ground cumin
• ½ tablespoon of paprika
• 2 packs of cheese (mozzarella and the shredded cheese are preferred)

What to do:

Wash the zucchini, cut the stem and slice it in half.

Grab a spoon to take out the insides of the zucchini and make it look smooth, like a baby’s bottom. Start cutting the onions and garlic into little chunks.

On the oven, prepare the pan for the beef. Before placing the beef, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and place the cut onions. We marked the oven area med-high for a quicker mix. When the onion has a gold-transparent look, place the garlic. Note: garlic cooks super fast, so you have to be prepared for anything! Now, place the beef to start cooking.

Grab the condiments and let’s go! Spread half a tablespoon of salt, ground pepper, ground cumin and paprika.

If you’re an experienced cook, I would taste it to see if it has enough salt. Our family likes to add salt to almost everything. Unless you’re not about that life.

Optional: Add some parsley to the beef to have some extra taste.

Warm the oven to 375 degrees to be prepared for the stuffed zucchini!!!

Grab a tablespoon of olive oil, half a tablespoon of salt and half a tablespoon of ground pepper to prepare the zucchini. Use those little kitchen brushes to spread it and make your life easier.

Start adding the beef to the zucchini, making it look like a boat. And place them on the cooking tray prior to placing in the oven.

Option: If you really like cheese, like me, add it so the beef melts with it together.

Leave in the oven for 20-25 minutes!

TA-DA!!!

Your masterpiece has been created!!

For some last touches, add the mozzarella and shredded cheese to the top of the stuffed zucchini.

Ready to eat!!!

I hope you had as much fun reading it and trying the recipe as much as I had writing and reminiscing on my cooking journey. This is only the beginning!

Stuffed Zucchini has been one of my favorite inventos (Spanish for inventions) yet and I’m so excited to show you more!

What do you think? Let me know in the comments below!! I want to hear about your experience!