Stuffed Zucchini

I love zucchini, and this year our plants have actually produced more than one baby zucchini. I've been so excited about it and have been actively searching for yummy recipes that utilize our garden abundance. The tricky part is finding normal recipes that still fit in with our preferred food-tastes. Just because I want to use zucchini doesn't mean that I want to use feta or goat cheese.  David is tolerant of zucchini, but doesn't adore it, so recipes that somehow incorporate the zucchini while remaining fairly consistent with what we normally eat are best. I decided to take a chance on my own version of a stuffed zucchini, even though it's got a bigger presence than I would normally attempt. Again, most of the recipes I found were pretty outside of our normal scope of food taste - but I decided to just go for it. As I was making it, I totally chickened out and just made things up as I went instead of following the recipe in hopes that it would end up being something that we would actually eat and enjoy. It ended up turning out awesome and I would definitely make it again.

Stuffed Zucchini
Source: The Peaden Kitchen

Ingredients:
1/2 lb ground beef
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1-2 cups grated cheddar cheese
1 bottle marinara sauce (we love Prego)
1 medium/large sized zucchini

Directions:
Slice zucchini in half end to end and use a spoon to scoop out the middle, creating a little boat. Place on a baking sheet, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and stick in a 350 oven for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, In a medium sized skillet, brown ground beef. When almost completely cooked through, add onion and bell pepper and cook until tender. Add about 1/2 cup of marinara sauce and stir to combine.  Place meat mixture in hollowed out portion of zucchini and top with additional sauce and remaining cheese. Increase oven temp to 375 and place pan back into the oven. Bake for 20 minutes or until zucchini is completely fork tender and cheese is melted. Slice into sections and serve. Enjoy!