Stuffed Zucchini with Beef | Baked in a Rich Tomato Sauce

This stuffed zucchini is filled with beef, prosciutto and Parmesan, then baked in a rich homemade tomato sauce until golden. If you love zucchini, I think you’ll love this one. It’s quite economical to make and lovely served with buttered pasta to soak up all that tomato sauce.

I found the original recipe in my old copy of The Cooking of Italy. I’ve brought it up to date a little by simplifying the method, while keeping the flavours that make it so good. The tomato sauce has become one of my favourites, and it’s the same sauce I use in my Beef Parmigiana recipe.

Zucchini Ripieni (Beef Stuffed Zucchini)

Prep Time: 30 minutes mins

Cook Time: 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes

Servings: 6 servings

Tender zucchini filled with a savoury mixture of beef, prosciutto and Parmesan, then baked in a rich homemade tomato sauce until tender and golden.

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Ingredients

 

Stuffed Zucchini

• 6 medium zucchini
• 120 g prosciutto, diced
• olive oil as needed
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed or finely chopped
• 500 g beef mince, ground beef
• 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs, from 2 slices of bread
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 60 g Parmesan cheese, finely grated
• 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 60 g Parmesan cheese, finely grated, extra
• olive oil, for drizzling
• butter, for greasing the baking dish
• fresh parsley, to serve, optional

Tomato Sauce

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 knob butter, about 20 grams
• 1 large onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed or finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 800 g tinned whole tomatoes, crushed by hand, or tinned cherry tomatoes
• 250 ml water, 1 cup
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, or 2 teaspoons dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 heaped teaspoon dried basil, or 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• black pepper, to taste

Instructions

 

Prepare the Zucchini

• Wash and dry the zucchini and slice each one in half lengthways, leaving the stalks intact. Using a spoon, scoop out some of the flesh, leaving shells about 6 mm (¼ inch) thick so they are sturdy enough to hold the filling.
• Using clean hands, squeeze as much excess liquid as possible from the zucchini flesh. Roughly chop the flesh and set aside.

Make the Filling

• Heat a splash of olive oil in a heavy based frying pan over medium low heat. Add the prosciutto and cook gently until the fat has rendered and the prosciutto is lightly cooked. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towel.
• Add the diced onion to the same pan, adding a little more olive oil or butter if necessary. Cook over moderate heat for 3–4 minutes, stirring frequently, until translucent. Add the garlic and cook briefly until fragrant.
• Add the beef mince and cook over medium heat, stirring and breaking it up, until no pink remains.
• Add the chopped zucchini flesh and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the excess moisture has cooked away. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and leave it to cool slightly.

Make the Tomato Sauce

• Heat the olive oil and butter in a saucepan. Add the onion and garlic and cook over moderate heat for 3–4 minutes, stirring frequently, until softened.
• Add the tomato paste and cook for about 30 seconds, stirring continuously.
• Add the tomatoes, water, parsley, oregano, basil, sugar, salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer gently for 15–20 minutes, until the sauce has thickened slightly. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed. Keep the sauce warm.

Finish the Filling

• Add the breadcrumbs, oregano, black pepper, cooked prosciutto and 60 g Parmesan to the cooled beef mixture. Mix well.
• Taste the mixture before adding salt, as both the prosciutto and Parmesan are salty. Add about 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste.
• Mix through the beaten egg. The finished filling should hold together when pressed.

Fill the Zucchini

• Preheat the oven to 170°C fan / 190°C conventional / 375°F.
• Grease one large baking dish, or two smaller dishes, with butter.
• Using clean hands, shape portions of filling into rough sausage shapes and press them generously into the zucchini shells, mounding the filling, until all the filling is used. Divide all the filling between the 12 zucchini halves.
• Spread the hot tomato sauce over the bottom of the baking dish. Arrange the stuffed zucchini over the sauce, leaving a little room between them where possible.
• Sprinkle the remaining 60 g Parmesan over the zucchini and drizzle lightly with olive oil.

Bake

• Cover the baking dish tightly with foil and bake for 30 minutes. If using two trays, swap the trays in the oven half way.
• Remove the foil and bake for a further 20–30 minutes, until the zucchini is tender when pierced with a skewer and the tops are beautifully golden. Start checking after 20 minutes, as every oven cooks differently.
• The zucchini should be tender when pierced with a skewer, while still holding its shape.

Serve

• Spoon some of the tomato sauce around the zucchini and scatter with a little fresh parsley, if using. Serve hot.
• This is also lovely served with buttered pasta to make the most of the tomato sauce.

Video

Notes

Breadcrumbs: Gluten free breadcrumbs work perfectly well in the filling.

Zucchini: Choose medium zucchini that fit comfortably in your baking dish. Avoid packing them too tightly, as a little space around them helps them cook evenly.

Cooking time: Use the tenderness and colour of the zucchini as your guide rather than relying solely on the cooking time. Ovens vary, particularly during the uncovered stage.