Zucchini with rice and mushrooms
Description
Zucchini with rice and mushrooms. For this recipe, you can use mushrooms—button mushrooms in my case, or any other mushrooms such as oyster mushrooms or porcini. If using wild mushrooms, be sure to pre-boil them. It's well known that mushrooms can replace meat, and this is exactly such a case. You can use leftover rice from yesterday's meal. Substitute tomato paste with fresh tomato blended in a blender until smooth. If you omit the sour cream, this dish can also be prepared during fasting periods. Definitely try this recipe during zucchini season.
Instructions
- 1
Step 1
Prepare the required ingredients. Cook the rice in advance in salted water.
- 2
Step 2
Cut the zucchini in half lengthwise and remove the inner flesh with a spoon. We won't need the flesh anymore. You can use it to make smoothies, gazpacho, or add it to borscht or soup.
- 3
Step 3
Prepare the sauce. Mix water, sour cream, tomato paste, a pinch of sugar, salt, and hot pepper. Stir until smooth.
- 4
Step 4
Pour the sauce into the baking dish in which we will bake the zucchini.
- 5
Step 5
Prepare the filling. The filling can also be prepared in advance. Finely chop the onion and grate the carrot coarsely. Fry in vegetable oil over medium heat until soft.
- 6
Step 6
Dice the bell pepper finely and add it to the vegetables for 3-5 minutes. Don't forget to stir.
- 7
Step 7
Dice the mushrooms finely as well.
- 8
Step 8
Add to the vegetables, mix, season with salt and pepper. If there's not enough oil, add some. I like to cook mushrooms with butter, so I add 1 teaspoon. You can adjust to your taste and add some vegetable oil. Cover with a lid and simmer over low heat for about 10 minutes.
- 9
Step 9
And finally, add the rice. Mix well, heat slightly, taste it, and check if there's enough salt and pepper. At this stage, the filling should already be flavorful; it will be too late to adjust later.
- 10
Step 10
Season the inside of the zucchinis with a little salt and pepper so they don't turn out bland after baking. Fill them with the stuffing. Place them in a baking dish with sauce. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes at 180 degrees.
- 11
Step 11
Remove the zucchini from the oven after 10 minutes. Grate the cheese and sprinkle on top, covering the filling. Return to the oven for another 10-15 minutes.
- 12
Step 12
Keep an eye on it while it's raw. When it reaches the color you desire, remove the dish from the oven.
- 13
Step 13
Place the zucchini on a serving dish and be sure to pour over the sauce from the pan in which they were cooked. Sprinkle with herbs of your choice.