Stuffed Round Zucchinis

I know I'm not supposed to be buying any zucchinis but I couldn't resist when I saw these round zucchinis at the market the other day. Although I often do tomato farcies (stuffed tomatoes), I have yet to do with zucchinis & these were just begging to be stuffed. Instead of the usual stuffing that I do, I wanted to try something different. The internet had tons of recipes for stuffing from vegetarian to seafood (which I would love to try next) to meat.

I had some ground beef left over from making Burger Wraps & wanted a stuffing that included rice as well. I came across this recipe from here & she has lots of great ideas & alternatives at the end which I will try out the next time I make these again (like adding olives & sausages).

Stuffed Zucchini with Rice, Ground Beef, Red Pepper, and Basil
(adapted from Kalyn's kitchen)

6 round zucchini
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
2 tsp olive oil
400g lean ground beef
1 tsp chopped garlic
1 cup cooked brown rice (I used regular rice)
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh basil
3/4 cup coarsely grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chicken stock (I left this out)
breadcrumbs

Prepare the zucchinis - cut off the top & set aside. Scoop out the inside with a spoon leaving 4cm of skin. You can also chop up the 'insides' to be added to the stuffing mixture. Microwave on high for 5-6 mins till the zucchinis are soft but still maintaining their shape.

1. Fry onions & peppers in olive oil till soft. Set aside.

2. Fry ground beef until brown. Half way add garlic. Breaking up the meat into small pieces. Set aside.

3. Mix cooked rice, chopped basil, parmesan and chicken stock to the meat & vegetables.

4. Stuff the mixture into the zucchinis - packing in as much as possible. Sprinkle the tops with bread crumbs. Line them up in an oven tray & drizzle olive oil over.

5. Bake in oven 190C for 20-30 mins