Food Friday- Stuffed Zucchini

I decided to have some fridays as food recipe day as they aren't the most fun to read, but I still like to reference the blog for recipes.  This recipe is one of my favorites for the summer grilling season. It takes a little prep work inside before heading to the grill though. 

Grilled Stuffed Zucchini by Our Best Bites

Ingredients-

2 medium zucchini (about 10″)

4 oz Italian turkey sausage (1 link, I use 2 though)

1/4 C diced red onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium tomato (about 1/2 C diced)

1 1/2 T chopped fresh basil (or abt a teaspoon of dried)

2/3 C Italian cheese blend 

1 T Italian style bread crumbs

Directions-

Slice zucchini in half length wise, leaving the tops on. Scoop out the centers, saving them in a bowl. Leave at least 1/4 inch around the edges and bottoms. Take the good parts of the zucchini guts you just scooped out and dice up 1/2 C. This will go in your filling. Head over to OBB for a great tutorial on what this should look like, I failed to take a picture of this part. 

Drizzle the zucchini shells with a little olive oil and use your hands to rub it on all sides. Sprinkle with some kosher salt and black pepper and set aside.

Preheat your grill outside and then start your filling in a skillet on the stovetop. Start by browning the sausage. When you no longer see pink, add the onions, garlic, and diced zucchini. Cook for 2-3 minutes until onion is tender. Add tomato and basil, 1/4 t kosher salt and a few cracks of black pepper. Remove pan from heat and set aside.

 Take your zucchini to the grill and put them hollow-side down (don't mind the sausage in the background, I used the others in the package to serve on the side with dinner).  Grill for about 5 minutes on medium heat. They should have nice charred marks and look tender on the inside.

Take them back inside. Add cheese and bread crumbs to filling mixture. Stir to combine and then divide the filling between the zucchini. Top each zucchini with about 1T cheese and sprinkle with 1/4-1/2 t bread crumbs. Lastly, give them a little drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Place them back on the grill (filling side up- please!) Close grill lid, and cook for another 5-7 minutes. Larger/thicker zucchini will obviously take longer to cook.

They really are very filling and delicious!