Large Meat and Sausage Stuffed Zucchini

My wife's friend gave her two HUGE zucchinis last week and I needed to try and find something to do with them. Granted, I could have resorted to the old zucchini cookies and bread routine, which I did a few weeks ago, but I wanted to try something different. Also, I am just too lazy to stand still for hours grating those behemoths. So, I did a little searching and combined a few recipes into one. Even though the proportions in this recipe are for large zucchinis, you can easily adapt it for smaller ones. You can also use this stuffing for peppers, tomatoes, or anything else you can think of.






What you need
Large zucchini...2
Hamburger... 1 pound
Italian sausage... 1 pound (or any type you like)
Onions... 2
Peppers... 2
garlic... 5 or 6 cloves (we like a lot of garlic)
Eggs... 2
Bread crumbs... about a cup
Feta Cheese... 12 ounces
Parmesan cheese
Your favorite hamburger seasoning... taco, barbecue, etc.
Large baking pan




Putting it together

• Grab your monster and trim the ends


• Split down the middle and scoop out the seeds


• Once you have a well-defined trench, place halves face down in the baking dish


• Add about an inch of water and cover with foil


• Place in a 350° oven and bake for 40 minutes. Check to see if the zucchini is somewhat soft (not likely) and continue baking an additional 40 minutes. (It took two hours for mine to finish baking)


While the zucchini is steaming away in the oven, let's prepare the stuffing...

• Cook sausage until done and place in large bowl


• Cook hamburger until done and then add you favorite seasonings (I was lazy and just used barbecue sauce). Mix well and place in bowl with sausage


• Dice onions and sauté (don't forget to season) until translucent


• Mince garlic and add to onions and sauté an additional 3 minutes


• Remove and place in a bowl


• Chop or dice (however you like them) peppers and sauté (season me, please)


• Once the stuffing has cooled down, add the eggs, bread crumbs, and feta cheese


• Mix well


• Once the zucchini is cooked and cooled, pile-on the stuffing and top with the Parmesan cheese


To eat

• Bake zucchini uncovered in a 350° oven, for 20-30 minutes


Storage

• Divide into individual portions, wrap, and freeze

For service

• These guys have a tendency to release a lot of liquid, so you might want to defrost them in a bowl


• Bake uncovered at 350° for 20-30 minutes


• Serve with whatever you like: sour cream, salsa...oh, and if you have never eaten zucchini like this, yes you do eat the skin, too

Hope you enjoy it!