You can also stuff small eggplants, bell pepper halves, even onions.
Yield: Serves 6
- 3 medium zucchini or crookneck squash
- 2 cloves garlic, minced or crushed
- 1 smallish or 1/2 large onion, chopped
- 1 large tomato, chopped into small dice
- olive oil
- salt & pepper, to taste
- 1 Tbsp chopped fresh oregano (or 1 tsp dried)
- 3/4 lb ground lamb
- 1 tsp cumin
- handful fresh parsley leaves, chopped
- grated Parmesan to top
- optional: feta cheese in small cubes, browned pine nuts, chopped olives
Preheat oven to 400 F.
Slice each squash in half lengthwise. Scoop the insides out of each half, but do not cut through the skin, and leave enough flesh inside so that the halves can stand on their own. They’ll look like little boats. Sprinkle them with salt and arrange in one layer in a lightly oiled baking dish.
Chop the scooped-out part into small chunks. Heat 2 Tbsp oil in a skillet over medium heat, add the garlic, and stir 30-60 seconds, until it is fragrant. Add the chopped onions and cook until they are translucent. Add the zucchini and tomato. Cook 5-8 minutes, until the vegetables are soft and cooked through, then add oregano, salt and pepper to taste.
While the vegetables cook, heat a bit of oil in another skillet and brown the ground lamb. Be sure to pour off fat as it accumulates. Season it with salt, pepper, and ground cumin, and make sure the lamb is well cooked and broken up into small bits.
Add the cooked lamb to the cooked vegetables, then stir in the chopped parsley. Taste the stuffing, adjust seasoning to taste one last time. Add in any optional ingredients at this time.
Fill the squash boats with the meat/veggie mixture and sprinkle the tops with the grated Parmesan. Drizzle with a bit of olive oil, and bake 30 minutes or so, until the zucchini is very soft.