This Stuffed Zucchini with Ground Meat Recipe was the hallmark of my Paciccio’s kitchen when we still lived together. It was a dish he prepared at most every 15 days, we were really two foodies. Sometimes it was zucchini stuffed with white meat, with some carrots or cherry tomatoes and sometimes it was zucchini stuffed with sauce. In short, the taste was guaranteed and we were happy to share those moments, him cooking and me watching TV or at the computer waiting to have dinner together.
Small and simple family rituals, that’s why I really wanted today’s photo to be much better than the one that was present for this recipe until yesterday morning. A nice photo that adds value to this second course and above all gives you a “homey scent.”
Over the years I have added many zucchini recipes to the blog because I’m really crazy about them. I adore them, I would prepare them for lunch and dinner, simple dishes like a zucchini soup or more summery first courses like pasta with zucchini and feta cheese. You can read all these recipes by clicking the blue links below, each link will take you to the recipe you have chosen to read.
I also remind you that I look forward to seeing you every morning in the Group or on the Facebook Fan Page with the Recipe of the Day, on the Instagram profile with live broadcasts from my kitchen, and on the YouTube channel with many video recipes! You’ll find all the social links in the box below the recipe, I’ll be waiting for you!!!
Now let’s move on to the recipe, the list of ingredients and necessary tools to prepare it, and then to the step-by-step explanation of this second course based on zucchini and ground meat in a pan.
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Affordable
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 2 people
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Spring, Summer, and Fall
- Energy 625.26 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 27.50 (g) of which sugars 3.24 (g)
- Proteins 22.71 (g)
- Fat 48.33 (g) of which saturated 13.65 (g)of which unsaturated 17.29 (g)
- Fibers 4.39 (g)
- Sodium 1,157.65 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 250 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients for Stuffed Zucchini with Ground Meat in a Pan
- 4 zucchini (medium-large and possibly straight)
- 5.3 oz mixed ground meat
- 1 egg yolk
- to taste breadcrumbs (2 tablespoons)
- to taste extra virgin olive oil
- Half shallot (or onion)
- a few baby carrots (5 – 6 baby carrots)
- Half espresso cup white wine
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch pepper
- 1 pinch nutmeg
- leaves parsley (or dried parsley)
I know the list of necessary ingredients for this recipe seems long, but if you think about it, half are spices, oil, and breadcrumbs. The essential part is the zucchini and ground meat. In my case, a mix of beef and veal and half a sausage leftover from the first course a few days ago. The creamy pasta with sausage and saffron without cream is a first course you absolutely must try!
Furthermore, a tip: when you hollow out the zucchini, don’t throw away the inside, in the coming days I’ll show you how to use it for another recipe. So stay tuned to my blog and social channels to discover it with me!
The Paciccio Trick: he would bring a pot of abundant salted water to a boil, hollow out the zucchini, and blanch them for about 5 or 6 minutes. This will speed up the cooking time of the stuffed zucchini in the pan, making them soft and delicious. We will indeed do the same, unless you have time and do not want to dirty both pot and pan.
However, you can choose to proceed with cooking the zucchini in the pan, obviously lengthening the cooking time indicated earlier.
Tools for the Stuffed Zucchini with Ground Meat in a Pan Recipe
If you don’t have a zucchini corer, I’ll leave the link to purchase it. If you want the wooden spatula you see in the photo with the blog’s logo Le Ricette di Bea you can write it in the comments of this recipe or in chat on one of the social channels of your choice. Wooden spatulas are very useful and practical, perfect for not damaging the bottoms of pans.
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Pan
- 1 Pot
- 1 Corer
- 1 Wooden spoon
- 1 Lid
- 1 Espresso cup
- 1 Knife
- 1 Kitchen towel
- 1 Cutting board
Obviously, the pot will only be needed if you proceed with both cooking methods, otherwise, it won’t be necessary.
Steps for the Stuffed Zucchini with Ground Meat Recipe
Let’s start the preparation of this recipe by washing the zucchini under the sink water jet, patting them with a kitchen towel, and cutting off the two ends, placing them on a wooden cutting board. Divide the long and possibly straight zucchini into three pieces, roughly the same size. Now take the corer and create the hole in the center of each zucchini piece. Keep aside what you are removing, as you can make many other recipes with it. I’ll show you one in the coming days, tasty and delicious. We’ll just add some tuna and have another good and affordable dish to enjoy.
Now take a pot and bring abundant water to a boil, add a pinch of salt. When the water comes to a boil, we’ll boil the zucchini for about 5 or 6 minutes. Then quickly pass them under the water jet from the sink to cool and stop their cooking. This step will prevent them from breaking during the next cooking in the pan.
This recipe is very simple, affordable, and quick to make. However, you need to be careful when hollowing out the zucchini to avoid breaking them and when filling them with ground meat. Which we will prepare now.
Indeed, take a bowl and pour the ground meat into it. Add the egg yolk, a few tablespoons of breadcrumbs, a good sprinkle of salt, pepper, nutmeg, and finely chopped parsley or dried parsley. Obviously, if you don’t like the smell of nutmeg, you can avoid adding it, the result of this zucchini stuffed with ground meat dish won’t change.
Now that we have worked the meat mixture with our hands, we can proceed with stuffing each zucchini, applying slight pressure as you add the meat inside them. As you can guess from the photo, I had some leftover ground meat, so I took the opportunity to make some meatballs to serve with the zucchini. We love meatballs and will never get tired of eating them. Now we are ready to proceed with cooking this second course.
Place a non-stick pan on the stove, pour a nice drizzle of extra virgin olive oil into it, and sauté half a finely chopped onion or half a shallot, as in my case.
Hollow the zucchini with the corer
Keep the inside of the zucchini for another recipe to avoid wasting ingredients
When it has wilted, we can add the zucchini, letting them brown over medium-high heat, turning them occasionally. After about ten minutes, we can deglaze with the white wine, let it evaporate, and then cover with the lid. Be sure not to cover before the wine has evaporated, as the smell could be too intense. After deglazing with the wine, I added some baby carrots after washing them under the sink water jet and simply cutting them in half. If you don’t have them, you can easily not add them, it won’t change the final result of this recipe.
Let it cook for about ten minutes per side, turning the zucchini after this time. The total cooking time for pan-stuffed zucchini is about 45 minutes, always if you have previously boiled them as I did, otherwise extend the cooking to 50 to a maximum of 55 minutes. Now our stuffed zucchini with ground meat in a pan are ready to be served!
All that’s left is to wish you bon appétit and remind you that I look forward to seeing you in my kitchen with many easy, quick, and affordable recipes like this one!
Storing Pan-Cooked Zucchini
After allowing them to cool completely at room temperature, you can store the stuffed zucchini in a container with a lid: in the refrigerator for up to two days or in the freezer for up to a month.
If you store them in the refrigerator, you can heat them at the moment and serve them hot with a drizzle of raw extra virgin olive oil.
If you decide to store them in the freezer, remember to thaw them in advance, first passing them in the refrigerator to avoid excessive temperature fluctuations. Then heat them in a pan with an extra drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Optionally, add a drizzle of water.
