Recipe: Stuffed Zucchini & Restaurant Baked Potatoes*

Upon returning from our trip to Wisconsin, before even going into the house, I rushed out to the garden to see my gigantic tomato plants, rows of green beans ready for picking, and the expected abundance of zucchini and yellow crooknecks.  Cucumbers, beets, and red potatoes were looking robust as well, despite two week’s growth of monstrous weeds.  I couldn’t wait to dig in, so Stuffed Zucchini was on the menu the very next night.  My mother created this recipe sometime in the mid 1970’s after our family fell in love with a similar version at a restaurant called “Grandma’s” on a trip to Salt Lake.  We had never tasted anything like it before.  The restaurant closed soon after, but this dish has endured to become a summertime family favorite for going on four generations now.

If you are interested in trying it, I have provided step by step instructions and photos.  If you don’t have a garden or generous neighbors who do, you’ll be happy to see that zucchini is part of the “Fill it Fresh” sale at Macey’s this week.

The stuffed zucchini went well with my “Restaurant Baked Potatoes,” also explained below.  Basically this involves rubbing Russet potatoes with oil and rolling them in coarse sea salt, then baking at at 400 degrees to achieve that crispy outside/fluffy inside effect people enjoy at places like Texas Roadhouse.  

Stuffed Zucchini

-Use small zucchini, (one for each person) shave a slice off the top, and carefully hollow out insides with a small spoon, mostly just removing the seedy middles. Throw the insides away. Get out an oblong casserole dish and make sure they’re all going to fit. You want them tight so they don’t roll around.

-Lightly salt the insides and set aside.

Meat Filling:  1 1/2 lbs of at least 85% lean ground beef, about ¾ cup ketchup, 2 large eggs, 2-3 cups ground soft bread crumbs (thaw and grind whatever leftover rolls or buns you have in the freezer in your food processer), 1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce, 1 large finely chopped onion, 1 small bunch minced parsley leaves (or ½ a bunch if it’s a big one), 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, scant ½ teaspoons black pepper.   Mix well with meat fork or your hands (do not over mix or it will make it tough).

-Stuff the zucchini firmly with the meat mixture, rounding up to get plenty of meat in and so it will look nice. 

-Cover loosely with foil and bake at 375 degrees for around an hour or so.  When the zucchini is tender but not mushy when pierced with a toothpick the meat should be browned and done, but you may want to test with a quick-read thermometer.

-At this point, carefully hold back the zucchini’s with a plate or metal oblong cake pan lid and tip the pan to drain off the water and grease that will have accumulated in the bottom of your pan (or just tilt the pan and spoon it out).

Sauce:  While your zucchini is cooking, make the sauce.

2 - 3 small cans of tomato sauce (not paste).  Put this in a saucepan to simmer very slowly while the zucchini is cooking.  You want to add some Italian seasoning, a large pinch of rosemary and basil leaves, a bay leaf or two, garlic salt, oregano, and a dash of Worcestershire.  You have to taste it after it has simmered awhile, then add more of whatever.  It gets a lot better as it simmers, so keep tasting it.  After the flavors have combined and it tastes good, just keep warm until the zucchini is ready.

-After you have drained the zucchini, spoon the warm sauce carefully over each zucchini and sprinkle with medium or sharp cheddar cheese.

-Put back in oven and turn it off.  Leave only for about 3 minutes to melt cheese.  Be careful when you lift them out of the pan (use a big spatula), as the meat will have formed into kind of a roll and it wants to fall out of the zucchini if you tip it too much.

Serves 6.

Restaurant Baked Potatoes

When I made the stuffed zucchini the other night, I also made my Restaurant Baked Potatoes.  Just rub clean, dry Russet potatoes all over with oil, then sprinkle or roll in coarse Sea Salt.  Bake directly on the oven rack (do not wrap in foil) at 400 degrees for about an hour. Poke with a toothpick to check for doneness.  (Note:  I never piece with a fork before baking, as I have never had one explode in the oven, and it leaves those ugly black marks inside after baking).