Stuffed zucchini
Description
The dish is prepared without unnecessary complications. Stuffed zucchinis are very simple to make. The main thing is to properly prepare all the ingredients. Cut the zucchinis in half and remove the pulp. Sauté the ground meat and vegetables, cook the barley, then mix everything together. Add spices. Fill the zucchinis with the mixture and bake in the oven for about half an hour. Serve the finished dish hot.
Instructions
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Step 1
1. Cook the barley porridge. You can soak the barley in advance (for example, overnight), then it will cook faster. 0.5 cup of grain (cooked in almost two cups of water for 30 minutes) will yield 1.5 cups of porridge. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil. Wash the zucchini, cut them in half and use a spoon to remove the core with seeds.
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Step 2
2. Place the zucchini halves, with the seed part removed, onto a baking sheet lined with foil. Season the insides with salt and pepper, and brush with vegetable oil.
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Step 3
3. Turn the zucchini cut-side down and heat in the oven for 10-15 minutes. Oven temperature - 200 degrees.
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Step 4
4. While the zucchini are warming in the oven, sauté the ground meat on the stovetop. You can use any kind of ground meat—pork, beef, or chicken. In a large skillet over medium heat, add a spoonful of oil, place the ground meat in the pan, season with salt, pepper, ground coriander, and paprika. Mix well and cook for 3–5 minutes, until the meat changes color.
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Step 5
5. Add finely chopped onion, garlic pressed through a garlic press, and grated carrot to the meat mixture. Mix well and sauté, stirring, for 7-8 minutes, until the vegetables become soft.
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Step 6
6. Transfer the fried minced meat with vegetables to a large bowl.
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Step 7
7. Into the pan where you fried the meat filling, add a couple of tablespoons of vegetable oil. Heat and sauté diced tomatoes (it's best to peel them by briefly plunging into boiling water and remove the stems) along with the firm zucchini flesh scooped out with a spoon. If there isn't enough flesh, chop another small zucchini—you'll need about one cup of diced zucchini. Season with salt and pepper, mix well, and sauté for 5 minutes.
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Step 8
8. Add the sautéed tomatoes with zucchini to the minced meat. Also add the cooked barley, grated Parmesan or other hard cheese, chopped parsley (a couple of tablespoons), and an egg to the bowl.
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Step 9
9. Mix until a homogeneous mass is obtained.
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Step 10
10. Distribute the barley and vegetable filling over the zucchini halves. Top with grated or sliced melting cheese.
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Step 11
11. Bake the zucchini in a preheated oven at 200 degrees Celsius for 25 minutes. At the end of baking, turn on the "Grill" mode for about 3 minutes to make the cheese crispy. Stuffed zucchini are ready!