Sometime I just get into these weird veggie moods. I crave greens, drool over mushrooms and pop cherry tomatoes in my mouth like candy. It’s a great time, honestly. I feel great and healthier and usually lighter, but nothing ever lasts long in my world. Before you know it, I am craving bacon and devouring bread like it’s going out of style. But it’s nice while it lasts.

Zucchinis are amazing grilled. Even tastier when roasted and simply yummy when dressed in olive oil, vinegar and s+p.

What I have never tried before though, is stuffing them.

The perfect receptacle! And the best thing is you can eat the whole thing without feeling guilty.

You want to outline the part you are going to scoop out using a knife–makes it much easier!

**Do no penetrate through the zucchini’s skin or they may fall apart during roasting.

Then just get in there and scoop it all out! Reserve the insides to sauté with the other vegetables.

Zucchini boat!

Prepare your stuffing! [sauteed veg, parm, bread crumbs, basil and an egg]

You could make this vegan by substituting nutritional yeast for the parm.

Stuff away! Adding extra breadcrumbs and parm for texture and flavor!

This dish is definitely a new go to! The zuchinni was tender and created a perfect vehicle for the even more delicious stuffing! Plus you could switch this up in a number of different ways.

• Use other veggies to stuff: eggplant, summer squash, peppers
• Need something a little hardier? Add bacon, chicken or italian sausage to the stuffing.

Vegetarian Stuffed Zucchini

serves 2, can easily be multiplied

2 medium sized zucchinis
1/3 cup red onion, chopped
1/2  cup orange pepper, chopped [sub any color]
1/2 cup mushroom, chopped
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1/3 cup bread crumbs, plus more for garnish
1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan, plus more for garnish
1 egg
4-5 small basil leaves, chopped

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Prepare zucchinis by cutting them in halves. Scoop out the innards and reserve for later. Season with olive oil, salt and pepper.

In a cast iron or other large skillet, saute red onion, peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes and the zucchini innards in about 1 tablespoon olive oil.  Once the veggies have softenened [5-8] minutes, add garlic and saute for 1 minute. Remove from heat.

In a large bowl, combine sauteed vegetables, bread crumbs, grated parmesan, the egg and basil until thoroughly combine. Divide filling between the four zucchini halves and top with extra breadcrumbs and parmesan.

Place stuffed zucchinis back into the skillet used to saute and place in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until zucchini can be pierced easily with a fork.

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