Taco Stuffed 8-Ball Zucchini stuff round summer squash with a spicy seasoned beef mix and top it off with a melted cheddar cheese.
Taco Stuffed 8-Ball Zucchini
By Sue Lau | Palatable Pastime
Taco Stuffed 8-Ball Zucchini is my recipe of the day.
I have been trying my hand at growing 8-ball zucchini this year out in the garden, and this is one of the ways I fixed them up for supper.
I love tacos and enchiladas any day of the week. It’s a ground beef thing- one of my fav comfort foods especially if I feel stressed or tired. Who doesn’t love a taco?
Growing the zucchini I try to pick them small, as generally I don’t care for the seeds. In the case of these stuffers, it is not as much of a problem if they are bigger.
After the blanch-cook, we will want to slice off the tops and get rid of the innards and seedy part.
Of course if they are small you can save decent insides for a saute. Toss them into some corn or something.
I don’t put the caps back on when baking but just set them alongside the filled zukes in the pan. They finish cooking and you can cut off the stem and eat the rest.
Taco Stuffed 8-Ball Zucchini
I listed out the weight on the zukes but they will wildly vary in size. Use your own judgement if you need more or less squash.
This can also be done on the long zukes if you hollow them out as boats. Just make sure your blanch pot is deep enough.
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Taco Stuffed 8-Ball Zucchini
Taco Stuffed 8-Ball Zucchini
Ingredients
- 3 pounds round 8-ball zucchini (about 4-5)
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 1/2 cup chopped poblano pepper (or green bell pepper)
- 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
- 2 teaspoons taco seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 cup spicy tomato salsa
- 1 cup finely shredded cheddar cheese (divided)
Instructions
- Cook zukes whole in boiling water for ten minutes, then drain and cool.
- Cut a top slice off the zuke and use something like a melon baller or tomato shark to hollow out the insides of the zucchini. Use the insides for something else or discard (depending on how many seeds it had).
- Brown the ground beef, onion, pepper and garlic with seasonings and drain any fat.
- Stir in salsa and half the cheese; mix well.
- Fill hollows of zucchini with meat mixture.
- Sprinkle the rest of the cheese over the top.
- Bake zucchini and tops (set tops on the side) at 375F. for 25 minutes or until cheese is nicely melted.
Notes
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What temperature to cook them at it doesn’t say?
375f will be fine