Stuffed Zucchini. Step-by-step Recipe With Photo

Have you grown zucchini as large as airships in your garden? They lie in the sun, and you think: what to do with the harvest - after all, young zucchini with thin peel and small seeds are more loved by culinary specialists. But even from large gifts of the garden, you can cook tasty and healthy dishes! For example, squash caviar, or casserole. And the easiest option is stuffed zucchini.

Along with stuffed peppers and cabbage rolls, zucchini filled with a mixture of rice and minced meat is one of the most popular summer recipes. I often make an assortment: cabbage rolls, peppers and zucchini in one pan - this company gets along well with each other, and the family members choose which one to their liking.

Ingredients for making stuffed zucchini:

• 2 large zucchini or zucchini;
• 1 cup rice
• 300 g minced meat;
• 1-2 carrots;
• 1-2 onions;
• Several ripe tomatoes (can be replaced with a glass of tomato juice or 50 g of tomato paste + half a glass of water);
• Salt and pepper to taste;
• Parsley, dill;
• Sunflower oil.

How to cook stuffed zucchini

First, prepare the filling as for cabbage rolls or peppers. Boil the rice almost until cooked. For 1 part of rice, take 2 parts or a little more water, pour in the cereals, put on medium heat and, stirring, bring to a boil. Then we reduce the heat and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally and slightly sliding the lid to the side so that the rice does not run away. Turn off and leave the rice under the lid for another 7-10 minutes. Even if the rice is slightly undercooked, it will reach readiness in zucchini. For now, put it in a wide bowl to cool.

Peel and wash the onions and carrots. Chop the onion and save for 2-3 minutes over medium heat in a frying pan with vegetable oil, and when it starts to become soft, add the carrots grated on a coarse grater.

While the frying is being prepared, let's take care of the zucchini. After rinsing, cut the zucchini into pieces 4-5 cm wide. If the skin is thin, you do not need to peel it.

With a teaspoon, carefully select the middle with the seeds - so that you get a "barrel" with a bottom, you do not need to make a through hole so that the filling does not fall out from below. If the seeds are small, then do not discard the middle - they will come in handy for a delicious gravy. Finely chop the pulp extracted from the zucchini and add to the onion and carrot. By the way, you can mix the onion-carrot-courgette sauce with rice and prepare a vegetarian version of the dish - without minced meat.

If you cook with minced meat, then add half of the frying onion + carrots to the rice, put the minced meat there, pepper, salt and mix thoroughly. And in the second half of the frying, add chopped zucchini and grated tomatoes (first three on a coarse grater, then through a sieve); or tomato paste. We dilute the gravy with a little water to the desired thickness, do not forget to add salt. After 2-3 minutes after adding the tomato, turn off the gravy and leave it for now.

We fill the zucchini casks with the prepared filling and put them in a saucepan, pouring 2-3 cm of water on its bottom. Zucchini can be laid in 2-3 layers, while the water can only cover the bottom layer, and not necessarily completely, and the top will be steamed.

Covering the pan with a lid, simmer the stuffed zucchini over the fire for a little less than medium for 20-25 minutes, until soft (try with the tip of a knife). When the zucchini is almost ready, add salt to the dish and spread the gravy on top. It will be even tastier if you stir it with fresh or dried parsley and dill. Purple basil gives the dish a delicious aroma.

Cook the stuffed zucchini for a couple of minutes after adding the gravy and turn it off.

We serve the dish warm, but it is also delicious when cooled down. Zucchini stuffed with rice and minced meat does not need a side dish or any additional dish like meat or salad, since they contain cereals, meat, and vegetables. It is enough to pour sour cream!