Cheese Stuffed Zucchini Recipes

STUFFED ZUCCHINI I

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add zucchini and cook until tender, about 15 minutes; drain. Scoop out the flesh of the zucchini, making a 'boat'.
• In a medium bowl combined zucchini flesh, bread crumbs, Cheddar cheese, onion, parsley, salt, most of the Parmesan cheese and egg. Fill zucchini boats with mixture. Dot tops with butter and sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese.
• Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes.

CHEESE STUFFED ZUCCHINI

Steps:

• Cut zucchini in half lengthwise.
• Parboil zucchini in a large saucepan with boiling salted water to cover for 5 minutes.
• Drain & scoop out seeds without going through sides.
• Mix together cottage cheese, cheddar cheese, eggs and spices.
• Spoon cheese mixture into the zucchini halves. (Do not mound - it will run over) Place in a shallow baking pan.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minute or until custard is set.
• When custard is done, you can sprinkle the zucchini with the bread crumbs and bake for 5 more minutes until the crumbs are toasty.

FRIED CHEESE-STUFFED ZUCCHINI BLOSSOMS

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, water and salt until smooth. Set aside.
• In a small bowl combine the goat cheese, cream cheese, heavy cream, basil, and green onion. Mix until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Spoon 1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons filling into each blossom. Close the blossoms and gently twist the petals to seal.
• In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan, pour enough oil to fill the pan about a third of the way. Heat over medium heat until a deep-frying thermometer inserted in the oil reaches 350 degrees F. (If you don't have a thermometer a cube of bread will brown in about 1 minute.) Dip the stuffed zucchini blossoms in the batter and allow any excess batter to drip off. Fry for 1 to 2 minutes, turning occasionally, until golden brown. Allow the cooked blossoms to drain on paper towels.
• Season with salt and serve with your favorite marinara sauce or vinaigrette.

CRISP ZUCCHINI BLOSSOMS STUFFED WITH GOAT CHEESE

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, cover 3/4 tablespoon of the sumac with 1 tablespoon of boiling water and leave to infuse for 5 minutes. Add both types of cheese, oregano, walnuts, lemon zest, 1/4 teaspoon salt and a generous grind of pepper. Mix well.
• Fill the flowers by carefully opening them and either spooning or piping about a tablespoon of the ricotta mixture into each, gently pushing the filling all the way to the bottom of each blossom but being careful not to fill them too much; if you can get someone to hold the flower open for you, it would make it much easier. Gently twist the tips of the petals to secure the filling inside and set aside until you're ready to fry.
• Pour enough oil into a medium (about 8-inch/20-centimeter) nonstick frying pan so that the oil rises about 1 inch/2 centimeters up the sides of the pan. Place on a high heat for 5 minutes and then turn the heat down a fraction.
• Meanwhile, mix the flour and baking soda together in a medium bowl. Slowly pour in the sparkling water, whisking continuously to form a smooth batter.
• When bubbles start to surface in the oil, test it by dropping some batter into the oil: if it sizzles, you are ready. (The oil should hover between 320 and 350 degrees Fahrenheit/160 and 180 degrees Celsius.)
• Lower a zucchini blossom into the batter, turning to coat completely, before carefully placing in the hot oil. Repeat, cooking a few blossoms at a time, adjusting the temperature between batches so they take about 30 seconds on each side to turn a golden brown. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and then sprinkle with salt and the remaining 1/4 tablespoon sumac. Serve at once with the lemon wedges alongside.

BEEF-STUFFED ZUCCHINI

Steps:

• Cut zucchini in half lengthwise; cut a thin slice from the bottom of each with a sharp knife to allow zucchini to sit flat. Scoop out pulp, leaving 1/4-in. shells. , Place shells in an ungreased 3-qt. microwave-safe dish. Cover and microwave on high for 3 minutes or until crisp-tender; drain and set aside. , Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook beef, onion and zucchini pulp over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Remove from the heat; stir in the marinara sauce, egg, bread crumbs, salt, pepper and 1/2 cup cheese., Spoon about 1/4 cup into each shell. Microwave, uncovered, on high for 4 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Microwave 3-4 minutes longer or until a thermometer inserted into filling reads 160° and zucchini are tender. If desired, broil zucchini 3 in. from the heat for 3-5 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown. Serve with additional marinara sauce.

STUFFED ZUCCHINI

Steps:

• Slice zucchini in half lengthwise. Scoop out insides leaving about 1/4-in shell.
• Finely chop zucchini pulp; set aside. Saute onion in oil in large heavy skillet. Add mushrooms, garlic and reserved chopped zucchini; cook over medium heat until most of moisture evaporates.
• Add cream cheese, egg, Parmesan, parsley, and pepper.
• Mix well; cook for about 10 minutes.
• Cool filling slightly and fill zucchini shells.
• Sprinkle with additional Parmesan cheese. Place on jelly roll pans; bake for 30 minutes at 350°F until bubbly and golden brown on top.

STUFFED ZUCCHINI

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine first 11 ingredients and 1 can of the tomato sauce; mix well. Stir in tomatoes. Halve zucchini lengthwise; scoop out seeds. Fill with meat mixture; place in two 13x9-in. baking dishes. Spoon remaining tomato sauce over each. , Bake, uncovered, at 375° until the zucchini is tender, about 45 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese during the last few minutes of baking.