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Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Got Zucchini???

Hey everyone, it's Zucchini Season-Woo Hoo! If you're not woo-hooing with me perhaps it's been zucchini season for a while??? I wanted to share a great recipe, this was one of the first things I made from Paula Deen and boy is it good! You can use zukes or yellow squash. 

Gather up:

Spinach Stuffed Squash
5 large zucchini and/or yellow squash, halved lengthwise
2 Tblsp olive oil
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 Tblsp butter
1/2 C onion, diced
1 C chicken flavored stuffing mix-dry, not cooked**
1 (10 oz) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1/2 C sour cream
1 C shredded sharp Cheddar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Brush cut sides of squash with olive oil, sprinkle with S&P. Place squash, cut side down, on a lined baking sheet. Bake 15 minutes, or until tender. Scoop out pulp, keeping shells intact-reserve pulp.

Reduce oven to 350 degrees.
In large skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion, cook 5 minutes or until transparent. To the skillet add stuffing mix, spinach, sour cream, Cheddar and squash pulp.  Mix together and add S&P to taste. Cook for 3 minutes. Spoon mixture evenly into squash shells. Place on baking sheet and bake 15-20 minutes, or until heated through.

Notes:
  • I like my zucchini to have a little bite to it, so I keep the cooking (both times) to 15 minutes.
  • Don't forget to save and chop the squash you scoop out and add it to the stuffing, that adds moisture. It is ok to get rid of some of the seeds though.
  • I think this is pretty (pics don't do it justice), the only missing color is red, so I dice up a little red pepper and add that to the onions.
  • Suggested add-ins all fully cooked: bacon, hamburger, diced chicken or turkey, mushrooms, sausage.
  • **Full disclosure, I couldn't remember if the stuffing was dry or cooked, so this time I cooked it. It turned out fine, but I think it's supposed to be dry. I couldn't get 100% confirmation of that from the site or the reviews, and the video is not up any more. So if you have left-over stuffing, use it up!
  • This is very flavorful and I do recommend giving it a try.
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