Now that is a zucchini. It’s massive, I know. You can make jokes about how it compares to the BF’s, um, arm, which is pretty much all I did when I pulled it from the garden. Typically I like to pluck the zucchini when they are small as I tend to think they taste better and have fewer seeds. But this behemoth, well, one day it was small and the next day—BAM!
So what to do with a monster like this? Stuff it and top it with bacon, naturally.
Also, maybe you missed me? Perhaps you noticed I was gone? I was not eaten by a whale nor kidnapped by squirrels—though those rumors are far superior explanations for my absence from the internets. I was eaten by work and family though and in the past two months have moved my mom to Georgia and then back to Colorado (whirlwind, woot!) and also hosted a professional development conference for artists (double woot!). Now I am back to my keyboard and back in my kitchen and ready to reclaim my soul through cooking (Xena-warrior-princess-woot!).
Brimming Baked Zucchini W/ Bacon
–1 large zucchini
–4 slices bacon
–2 cloves garlic, minced
–1 small onion, diced
–1 large tomato (I used heirlooms which are nice n’ juicy but also meaty)
–Optional: Cheese
First, I scooped out the inside part of the zucchini to make a canoe to house all the glorious stuffing. And I chopped up all the stuff to make stuffing. Mmm.
Next, in a large skillet, fry the four pieces of bacon over medium heat until brown and crispy. Remove from heat to drain. Pour off most of the bacon fat until two TBSP remain in the pan. Add the garlic and onion and cook for a few minutes, stirring regularly to evenly sauté. Add the zucchini pieces to the pan and stir to combine. Crack in some fresh black pepper and allow to cook until vegetables are tender before adding the tomatoes.
Add the tomatoes and stir well to combine. Turn the stovetop off and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the zucchini canoe in an oven-safe dish and spoon stuffing mixture into the zucchini. Use as much stuffing as will fit in the zucchini, until it threatens to burst out.
Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 15 minutes until the zucchini is warmed through. Crumble the bacon slices into pieces and place atop the zucchini. Return to the oven for 5 minutes to heat. If you would like to top with cheese, this is also the time to do that.
Remove from the oven and serve! Don’t worry about being messy; this zucchini is going to spill its hot guts all over the plate!
Dammit Jim, I’m not a doctor…
Time: 30 minutes
Serves: 2
Calories: 243 per serving, without cheese
