Taming zucchini monsters

Stuff them with a mixture of whatever you have on hand, then bake

September 25, 2013|By Russ Parsons, Tribune Newspapers

It's every gardener's secret September shame: Those zucchini plants you've been nursing along all summer suddenly have gone ballistic. Maybe you went away on vacation for a week. Maybe you merely turned your head for a moment. But what once was a promising little squash fingerling suddenly seems as big as your arm.




Stuff them with whatever you have on hand. Bake them with a sauce or not. Serve them hot or at room temperature. Just take a minimum of care and they're going to be good. Stuffed zucchini is kitchen economy at its best: Nothing goes to waste, and a little bit of this and that only makes it better.

The best zucchini for stuffing are those just on the cusp of monster-dom: 3/4 to 1 pound. Cut them in half lengthwise. A melon baller is the best tool for hollowing out the center. Start with the biggest spoon, and scoop out little balls just as you would for a honeydew salad. Then switch to the smaller spoon and smooth out the sides. You'll end up with something that looks kind of like a canoe. Don't trim too much or the squash will collapse during baking. Leave about 1/4 inch along the sides and a little more than that along the bottom.

If you've got really big zucchini, cut them crosswise into roughly 3-inch sections and then hollow them into cups. If for some reason you've decided you're going to stuff smaller zucchini, just shave a bit along one side and use that as the starting point.

Don't throw out the cores. Chop them coarsely, then dry them out by sauteing them until they cook down and lose their moisture. That's the base for the filling. You can add bits of whatever you have on hand for flavoring: ground lamb, Italian sausage, sauteed peppers, cooked rice or grains, cheese, herbs — stuffed zucchini is almost endlessly adaptable.

Bind the mixture with beaten eggs if you'd like. Or not. If you do, you'll probably want to add extra grated cheese and some fresh breadcrumbs to absorb any extra moisture.

Some cooks prefer to stuff the zucchini raw and cook everything through during the baking. I like the texture and flavor a little better when I steam the zucchini until it's almost done, then stuff and bake for a briefer time.


As far as serving goes, you can pretty much play that as you like as well (are you sensing a theme here?). Stuffed zucchini is superb straight out of the oven, but it's just as good lukewarm. Bake them in advance and refrigerate, then just let them come to room temperature before serving.

Stuffed vegetables are easy that way. In fact, probably the sagest advice of all comes from the great Richard Olney, who wrote in "Simple French Food": "Recipes for stuffed vegetables should not be taken too seriously — at least insofar as the ingredients for the fillings are concerned; vegetables may be stuffed with practically anything, and, if a bit of common sense is brought to the composition, they cannot help being good."

Zucchini stuffed with Italian sausage

Prep: 30 minutes

Cook: 1 hour, 10 minutes

Servings: 4 to 6


Olive oil

3 large zucchini (about 3/4 pound each)


1 onion, diced

3 Italian sausages, removed from casing, crumbled

1/2 cup white wine

3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Freshly ground pepper

1/3 cup fresh breadcrumbs

1 egg, lightly beaten

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 cups chopped tomatoes, fresh or canned

2 tablespoons capers, rinsed

1Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut the zucchini in half lengthwise; use a melon baller or serrated spoon to remove the insides of the zucchini to make what looks like a canoe. Leave about 1/4 inch of the flesh at the sides and a little more at the bottom. Collect the pulp on a cutting board and chop coarsely.

2Season the inside of the zucchini boats lightly with salt; steam over rapidly boiling water until almost tender, about 5 minutes.

3Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat; add the chopped onions. Cook until the onion softens, about 5 minutes. Add the zucchini pulp; cook until dry, about 10 minutes. Add the Italian sausage; fry until cooked through, about 10 minutes. Add the white wine; cook over high heat until the wine has evaporated, about 5 minutes.