Bread Stuffed Zucchini

I was recently gifted a zucchini the size of my 2 year olds thighs. No joke, this thing was a monstrosity!! Now I know from experience that when zucchini gets that size they become incredibly seedy and I always struggle with how to use them. I didn't want to throw it away but I also didn't want to make zucchini bread or overlook the seeds and BBQ or sauté it. So instead, I decide to stuff it. By stuffing it I was able to core out most of the seeds and leave the delicious pulp in tact.

Instead of adding sausage or some kind of meat to the stuffing I opted to keep it an all veggie stuffing but add a little surprise. What is the surprise you ask...bread! Yummy yummy sourdough bread. This recipe is really great and will satisfy even the most staunch of meat eaters, like my husband for instance.  The bread adds a great texture and soaks up all of the yummy flavors. And you will die over the breadcrumb topping. It is sooo easy to make and you probably have all of the ingredients on hand. It really takes this recipe over the edge and adds a great crusty topping.

Bread Stuffed Zucchini

Ingredients:

Stuffing-
3-4 large zucchini
olive oil
1/2 red on ion, diced
3 garlic cloves, diced
1/2 cup dice canned tomatoes
3 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese
salt and pepper
2 slices bread, I used sourdough

Breadcrumb topping-
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
1/4 grated parmesan cheese
2 garlic cloves
3 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
pinch salt and pepper

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Cut your zucchini in half, lengthwise, and core out the middle of each, reserving 1/2 cup of the pulp. Sauté onion and garlic over medium low heat in olive oil for about 7 minutes. Chop the reserved zucchini pulp and add to the pan. Sauté for an additional 4 minutes. Add the tomatoes and remove from heat. Place contents of pan into a bowl and add the mozzarella cheese and fresh chopped basil. Stir to combine and add salt and pepper to taste. Place stuffing into each hollowed out zucchini being sure to still leave room for your cut bread. Cut your bread slices into very small bite size pieces and top your stuffed zucchini with the bread pieces. You might need to push them down just a bit. Place all of your zucchini in an oven safe pan.

To prepare breadcrumb topping place all ingredients into a food processor and mix until well combined. Liberally sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture over your stuffed zucchini and bake for 30 minutes or until zucchini is tender.

 Enjoy!