Cheesy Stuffed Zucchini with Ragu

I’ve noticed a few Facebook and Pinterest re-posts going around for something very similar to this. It seems to happen occasionally that I’ll put something on my menu plan and several weeks later when I’m finally getting to it it’s already hit the blog circuit. Does this mean I have awesome food instincts??

Yeah…unlikely, I know.

Well, whatever it is, I can’t be too far off the foodie path, I just wish sometimes that I had something with a little “wow” factor. Hopefully this will make someone happy, as it did me. I found this recipe through TLC’s Take Home Chef, but I had to adapt it quite a bit as I’ve noticed that chef Curtis Stone likes to really stretch his culinary skills and I’m just a bit of an underachiever most days

1 T EVOO

1/2 medium onion, chopped

1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes

1/2 cup red wine

1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce

2 tsp thyme

1 bay leaf

1 tsp basil

salt & pepper

extra zucchini, chopped*

3 zucchini

3/4 cup ricotta cheese

3/4 cup grated or shredded mozzarella

1/2 grated Parmesan cheese

pepper

1. To get the ragu started it’s best if you have about an hour. First saute the onions in the EVOO, then add it to the diced tomatoes, extra zucchini, and the wine, with 1 tsp thyme and the bay leaf, over medium-high heat and reduce it by a third. Sauce will be thickened. (20-30 minutes)

2. Meanwhile, cut the zucchini in half lengthwise and spoon out the seeds. If the zucchini are still a bit hard inside just run a sharp knife down each side and score it a little. This will help when scooping out the seeds. *Also, if your zucchini are different lengths, you can cut them all the same and chop up the excess for the ragu, other wise I highly recommend you chopping up a fourth, smaller, zucchini to add to the sauce. It’s just a tomato sauce without it, and while it’s still good, the zucchini really adds something to it.

3. Combine the tomato sauce to your ragu along with the remaining tsp of thyme and the basil. Salt and pepper to taste and allow to simmer, stirring often, for another 30 minutes.

4. Preheat oven to 350*. Combine the three cheeses together in a small bowl using a fork. Season  with pepper, and mound the cut-side of the zucchini with the cheese mixture.

5. Lightly spray a 7 x 11 baking dish. Spoon the ragu into the bottom of the dish and place the stuffed zucchini on top. Bake for 20 minutes. Then broil for an additional 10 minutes. Zucchini will be tender but if you prefer them more cooked through try pre-cooking them a bit before assembly or leaving it in the oven at 250* for an extra 15-20 minutes.

I served this over Parmesan Couscous and it was amazing. A very satisfying vegetarian and, if you serve it with rice, a gluten-free meal.

Spinach Tomato Feta Frittata

I love frittatas because you can put just about anything into one and have a great meal. It’s also a really handy idea to keep in mind for those nights when you don’t have something else planned or ready to go (such as thawed meat, etc), or if you have leftovers, or if you want to go vegetarian. Of course, you can easily add a meat to your frittata as well.

Since the kids don’t really like a lot of different veggies, I made two individual frittatas for me and hubby using small 24-oz corningware dishes.

4 eggs

1/8 cup milk*

Chopped spinach (about 1/4 of a block)

1 large Roma tomato, diced

2 oz. feta cheese, crumbled

salt & pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400* and spray your baking dish(es) liberally with cooking spray.

2. Whip up the eggs and add the milk. (*You could also use heavy cream or even 1/2 & 1/2- just something to get those eggs frothy.) Add salt and pepper to taste.

3. Dice tomatoes, chop the spinach, and crumbled the feta, dividing the ingredients between the two dishes.

4. Portion the eggs between the two dishes and bake, uncovered, until centers are firmly set and top is slightly browned. Should only take about 15 – 20 minutes, just keep your eye on it.

Bruschetta

I have said it many times: I love Bruschetta. But I realized that I’ve never actually posted it before. This recipe is a staple, especially in the summer months when tomatoes and fresh basil abound. I could literally eat this for days. All I need is a yummy, crusty baguette and I’m good to go.

Now that the weather is turning a bit cooler, I don’t know how much more basil my plant will produce, so I snipped off what was there and made what might very well be the last Bruschetta of the season.

Unfortunately this isn’t the kind of recipe that I have measurements for. It’s strictly a taste-test kind of thing. If I am making a small bowl of Bruschetta just for myself (because the boys don’t like raw tomatoes) then I will cut up just two large romas and add the rest of ingredients by eyeing and tasting it. This recipe was much larger since we had guests in for part of the weekend.

6 large roma tomatoes, diced

2 to 3 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp balsamic vinegar

2 T EVOO

salt and pepper

1/2 cup fresh, chopped basil

I like lots of basil! You may prefer less. A standard recipe would call for less vinegar, oil and basil, and possibly even garlic. It’s all a matter of taste. If you researched Bruschetta recipes you may even find instructions to parboil the tomatoes and peel off the skin. This is a waste of time if you ask me. I like everything in it and I like my flavors strong. Perhaps what I like about the Bruschetta the most is the freshness of the tomatoes- it just screams summer and refreshing to me.

Chop the garlic and combine it with the vinegar and oil. Pour over the diced tomatoes and toss until everything is mixed well. Add salt and pepper to taste. Allow to sit for a few minutes so the flavors blend. Taste and add more vinegar, salt and pepper, and garlic as necessary.

Toast and slice a baguette and top with the Bruschetta. Yum!!

Zucchini Tomato Feta Spaghetti Fritatta

In my search for great vegetarian dishes I came across two different frittata recipes. One called for linguine and greens (any kind such as collards), and the other, zucchini and tomato. Well, they both sounded so good that I just couldn’t decide. So instead of choosing I simply adapted both recipes and combined them into one fantastic frittata!

Zucchini Tomato Feta Spaghetti Frittata

1 Tbsp. EVOO

1 small onion, diced

2 large zucchini, or 3 smaller ones sliced about 1/4 inch thick

1-2 large tomato, sliced

1 Tbsp. fresh Thyme leaves (or 1 tsp. dried)

Salt & Pepper

9 large eggs, slightly beaten

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup feta, chopped up

1/4 grated parmesan cheese

1 1/2 cups cooked whole wheat  spaghetti or linguine

Pre-heat oven to 425*. In a 10-inch oven-proof skillet over medium heat, warm oil. Add zucchini, onion, and thyme and cook, covered, stirring often, until tender but not browned, about 8 to 10 minutes. {I browned mine anyway because that’s how I roll and it turned out great. So don’t panic if your stove top is hotter than any other in the whole world, like mine is.} Uncover, and cook until all the liquid in the pan evaporates. Season with salt and pepper, remove skillet from heat.

In a large bowl, whisk eggs and milk. Add parmesan cheese and whisk briefly again. Stir in noodles. Pour egg mixture over zucchini. Use a fork to gently combine the vegetables with the noodles {You could cut the noodles up into smaller pieces before to make this easier. I didn’t because I like to make things difficult for myself. It still turned out fine} and to allow the beaten eggs to coat the bottom of the pan. Top with feta cheese and tomato slices.

Place skillet in oven and allow egg to cook for 15 to 20 minutes, or until egg mixture is fluffy, slightly browned, and center is set. You can set the broiler on the last few minutes.

Remove from oven; gently slide a heatproof spatula around the edges and underneath to loosen from skillet. Serve immediately.

There are so many ways to make a frittata!

I hope you enjoyed this week’s Meatless Monday recipe