Grilled Stuffed Zucchini

 

Just as fair warning, the next few posts from me might all have to do with veggies from our garden and/or grilling. Sometimes both. We have soooo much zucchini. My menu this week has zucchini on 4 of the 7 nights. However, it is a great opportunity to try new zucchini recipes. My friend told me to try this recipe from Our Best Bites and it was really tasty. I am not always great at following a recipe perfectly...I like to tweak things here and there. So, I will share with you the way I did it.

Grilled Stuffed Zucchini

3 medium zucchini (about 10″)
8 oz. ground chicken (or turkey) Italian sausage
1/2 C diced red onion
  3cloves garlic, minced
1 medium tomato (about 1/2 C diced)
2-3 T chopped fresh basil
1 C. Shredded Cheese (I used a combo of Parmesan and Asiago. You can use pre-shredded if you want.)
3 T Italian style panko bread crumbs.
kosher salt
black pepper
extra virgin olive oil

1. Slice zucchini in half length wise, leaving the tops on. Scoop out the centers, saving them in a bowl. Leave at least 1/4 inch around the edges and bottoms. Take the good parts of the zucchini guts you just scooped out and dice up about 3/4 to 1 C. This will go in your filling.

2. Preheat your grill outside. Spray or drizzle olive oil all over the cut zucchini. Sprinkle with some salt and pepper. Place them on the grill over medium, cut side down. 

3. Start your filling in a skillet on the stovetop. Start by browning the sausage. When you no longer see pink, add the onions, garlic, and diced zucchini. Cook for 2-3 minutes until onion is tender. Add tomato and basil, a touch of salt and a few cracks of black pepper. Remove pan from heat and set aside.

4. Remove your zucchini from the grill. It should have some nice grill marks and be tender. It takes about 5-7 minutes. Bring them inside.

5. Add the cheese and bread crumbs to filling mixture. Stir to combine and then divide the filling between the zucchini. Sprinkle a bit of bread crumbs over the top of the zucchini. Then give them a little drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. 

6. Return the zucchini to the grill, filling side up. Close the grill and cook for another 5-10 minutes. 
Serve!