Italian Tomato Rice-Stuffed Zucchini Wrapped In Meatballs

When it comes to zucchini, everyone has a favorite recipe or two that they keep coming back to time and time again. Although we love all of the classics like zoodles and zucchini bread, we think that stuffed zucchini is one of the best ways to serve this delicious vegetable. In this incredible recipe for stuffed zucchini, we hollow out whole zucchinis, stuff them with tangy Italian tomato rice, wrap everything up in a meatball and mozzarella coating, and serve it with rich and creamy Alfredo sauce. This recipe is about to become your new favorite way to eat zucchini!

Yield: 2
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 25 minutes
Difficulty Level: Moderate

You'll Need:

For the zucchinis:

  • 2 zucchinis, cored
  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella
  • ¾ cup Alfredo sauce to serve

For the Italian tomato rice:

  • ½ cup short grain rice (e.g. arborio), cooked
  • ⅓ cup tomato sauce
  • 2 tbsp chopped basil
  • salt & pepper to taste

For the meatball coating:

  • 11 oz ground beef
  • 1 cup bread crumbs
  • 1 tbsp thyme
  • 1 tbsp paprika
  • 1 tbsp oregano
  • 1 tbsp minced garlic
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tbsp rosemary
  • salt & pepper to taste

Here's How:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. For the zucchinis, cut off both ends of each zucchini and use a knife to hollow out the inside.

2. For the Italian tomato rice, cook the short grain rice according to the instructions on the packaging, then stir it together with the chopped basil, tomato sauce, salt, and pepper. Transfer the Italian tomato rice to a piping bag and pipe it into the center of the hollowed-out zucchinis.

3. For the meatball coating, stir together the ground beef, bread crumbs, egg, minced garlic, and seasonings. Cover the center of both stuffed zucchinis with the meatball mixture.

4. Fry the meatball-coated stuffed zucchinis on all sides in an oven-safe frying pan. Once the ground beef has been cooked, sprinkle shredded mozzarella on top of the stuffed zucchinis, transfer the oven-safe frying pan to the oven, and bake at 350°F for 25 minutes. Once the stuffed zucchinis are done baking, serve them with warm Alfredo sauce.

You can't really go wrong when there's zucchini, ground beef, and delicious Italian flavors involved. This stuffed zucchini recipe really has it all!

Get the recipe for the Bacon-Wrapped Zucchini Casserole featured in the bonus video.

Comments

Also hefty