I love making these round courgettes, they are really delicious as an appetizer or as a main dish and they look really nice when stuffed. Another great thing is that you can make it like the recipe below with meat or change it to a vegetarian meal by using only quinoa as your protein.
Ingredients:
6 round courgettes
100 grams of lean ground beef
60 grams of quinoa
1 small carrot (shredded)
1/2 onion (diced)
1 garlic (minced)
1/2 red bell pepper (diced)
Fresh parsley
120 ml of tomato sauce
Salt
Pepper
Olive oil
Parmesan Cheese (shredded)
Preparation:
Heat the oven at 200°C / 392°F
Start by cutting the top off from the courgettes with a spoon and remove the center, leaving only a shell of about 1 cm. Do not toss the tops as we will use them as lids. Rub the inside with a bit of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place the courgettes in a baking tin and put in the oven for 20 minutes covered with foil. They should be soft but not too much that you are not able to fill them.
Cook the quinoa according to the package instructions and set aside.
Heat olive oil in a pan and toss in the onion and garlic until soft and then add the bell pepper and carrots. Add the lean meat until browned. and then incorporate the courgette centers chopped, tomato sauce, salt, pepper and parsley. Mix well and add the cooked quinoa. Let cook for a few minutes to let the flavors blend together. Taste for seasoning.
Take the courgettes out of the oven and start to fill them with the meat and veggie mixture. Top with shredded Parmesan cheese and put the tops back on (use a toothpick if they will not hold together). Put them back in the oven for an additional 20-25 minutes or until they are soft to be pierced with a knife.
For the vegetarian version: Follow the same instructions without including the meat and double the amount of quinoa.
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