Much to the dismay of one son in particular when he was younger, there is almost no way, shape, or form of zucchini I don’t like; I cooked it often when he was little. Back in those days of juggling work and young kids, I usually sauteed zucchini slices in olive oil, with salt, pepper, and maybe some basil and/or a sprinkle of Parmesan or Pecorino Romano: a quick and easy side dish that I still love. But it was not one my son enjoyed…. However, times change. He now prepares zucchini frequently for his daughter, who likes it a lot. So the family tradition continues!
This stuffed zucchini dish is one I learned from an Italian friend when we lived in Rome. It is especially good as the weather gets colder. Note: I’ve made this dish many times, in Rome and here in the US. The photos in this post come from various times; some show Roman zucchini (Costata romanesco zucchini–which is lighter green, more speckled, and ridged) and others show the darker, smoother zucchini more typically found in the U.S. (see first photos below). Both are delicious!
Fun fact: In Italian, the word “zucchini” does not exist. The vegetable has a feminine name: one single vegetable is called a zucchina, and multiple ones are zucchine. I’m not entirely sure how we in the U.S. ended up using a masculine plural form for both singular and plural versions of a “feminine” vegetable, but there you have it. To complicate things, other English-speaking countries call the vegetable “courgette,” which comes from the French word for marrow, which is actually a big zucchini (ok, a big zucchina).
Ingredients
4 zucchini, as equal in length and diameter as possible
olive oil
1/2 onion, finely diced
1 carrot, grated
4-5 innermost, tenderest stalks of celery (with leaves), finely diced
1 lb (450 gr) ground pork (or other ground meat of choice)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. (6 gr) table salt
freshly ground pepper
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 c. (36 gr) panko breadcrumbs
1/2 c. (110 gr) grated Pecorino Romano (or Parmesan) cheese
nice handful of parsley, finely chopped
nice handful of basil leaves, finely chopped
About 32-40 oz (940 ml-1.1 liters) marinara sauce (such as Rao’s), or tomato passata (such as Mutti), or any marinara/passata/tomato sauce of your preference
Preparation
1. Cut each zucchini into 3 equal sections, then core each section. Finely dice the cores (the inner parts) and set aside.
2. Drizzle some olive oil into a skillet, and sauté the onion, carrots, and celery/celery leaves until almost soft. Add the diced zucchini innards, and cook until just tender. Place the veggies in a mixing bowl and let cool.
3. Add the remaining filling ingredients and mix well.
4. Pour the marinara sauce or passata into a Dutch oven or pot that is large enough to hold all zucchini pieces upright in a single layer. Start by adding sauce to a depth that is half the length of each zucchini piece. So, if your zucchini pieces are 4 inches/10 cm long, then add about 2 inches/5 cm depth of sauce to the pot. The sauce will rise up as you add the zucchini pieces to it.
5. With clean hands, take a small handful of filling and stuff the filling into the cored zucchini pieces with your fingers (you may need to stuff both ends). If you have extra filling, shape it into mini meatballs.
6. Nestle the stuffed zucchini pieces (and any meatballs) into the sauce in the pot. If needed, add more sauce so that it comes close to the tops of the zucchini pieces.
7. Bring to a simmer over high heat, then cover the pot and lower the heat to a simmer. Cook for about 30 minutes or until the zucchini are tender.
8. Serve with extra grated cheese sprinkled on top, if desired. Enjoy!
Perennial Pastimes 