Sumac Terrace · Main dishes

Rice and Beef Stuffed Zucchini in Tomato Sauce

Name: Rice and Beef Stuffed Zucchini in Tomato Sauce
Total time: 80 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 6 whole Zucchini; 350 g Ground beef; 150 g Long grain rice; 1 whole Onion; 2 clove Garlic; 400 g Canned crushed tomatoes; 1 tbsp Tomato paste; 2 tbsp Olive oil; 0.5 tsp Ground cinnamon; 0.25 tsp Ground allspice; 1.25 tsp Salt; 0.25 tsp Black pepper; 8 g Fresh mint; 1 whole Lemon; 400 ml Water; 10 g Fresh flat-leaf parsley

Hollowed zucchini filled with a loose mix of rice and ground beef, simmered in a cinnamon tomato sauce until the rice is tender and the filling is cooked through. Finished with mint and lemon.

80 minutes · Medium · 4 servings

Original house recipe · Not yet kitchen-tested

Ingredients

Zucchini6 whole
Ground beef350 g
Long grain rice150 g
Onion1 whole
Garlic2 clove
Canned crushed tomatoes400 g
Tomato paste1 tbsp
Olive oil2 tbsp
Ground cinnamon0.5 tsp
Ground allspice0.25 tsp
Salt1.25 tsp
Black pepper0.25 tsp
Fresh mint8 g
Lemon1 whole
Water400 ml
Fresh flat-leaf parsley10 g

Quantities describe recipe usage, not package sizes.

Allergen notes

None of the measured ingredients are a major allergen. Check canned tomato labels.

Method

Hollow the zucchini

Trim the stem end of each zucchini and scoop out the centre with a small spoon or an apple corer, leaving a wall about 5 mm thick. Keep the scooped flesh. Chop it roughly. Rinse the rice in cold water until it runs mostly clear, then drain. Dice the onion and mince the garlic. Chop the parsley and mint.

Mix the filling

In a bowl, combine the raw ground beef, drained rice, half the onion, half the garlic, half the cinnamon, the allspice, half the salt, the pepper and half the parsley. Mix gently. The rice is still raw; it will swell, so fill each zucchini only about two-thirds full. Do not pack it. Wash your hands and the board.

Build the sauce

Warm the olive oil in a wide pot over medium heat. Cook the remaining onion for 4 minutes. Add the remaining garlic and the chopped zucchini flesh and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, remaining cinnamon, remaining salt and the water. Bring to a simmer.

Simmer until the filling is safe

Lay the stuffed zucchini in the sauce in a single layer. Cover and simmer gently for 45–55 minutes, until the rice grains in a test zucchini are tender. Health Canada’s safe internal temperature for ground beef is 71°C (160°F): check the centre of the filling in the largest zucchini, not the sauce. Add a splash more water if the sauce dries out before the rice is done. Rest for 5 minutes. Spoon into bowls with sauce, the remaining parsley, the mint and lemon wedges.

Leave room in each zucchini for the rice to swell. A packed filling splits the vegetable and stays hard in the centre. The thermometer goes into the filling, where the raw beef is.

AI-generated food image. Presentation is illustrative. This menu belongs to an imagined restaurant.