My mother-in-law makes some fantastic stuffed peppers and I had a craving for them today but couldn’t find any nice peppers at the grocery store today.  In a flash of inspiration, I grabbed some beautiful large zucchini and used it in place of the peppers.  It was a great light meal and easy to make and fun to take a family favorite and give it my own spin.  Enjoy!

Stuffed Zucchini

1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup quinoa
2 large zucchini
3 teaspoons olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/2 pound extra lean ground beef
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Salt
Pepper
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, chopped
1 pint grape tomatoes

Preheat oven to 400 F. Lightly grease a 9 by 13 inch roasting pan with nonstick cooking spray.

In a medium sauce pan, cook the quinoa in vegetable broth for 15-20 minutes, until tender. Stir occasionally. Allow to cool.

Trim zucchini and halve each lengthwise. With a spoon, scoop out seeds and some pulp from zucchini halves, leaving a 1/4″ thick shell. Set aside.

In a skillet, heat 2 teaspoons oil on medium-high until hot. Add onion and cook 3 minutes or until softened, stirring occasionally. Stir in garlic and red pepper and cook until fragrant. Add beef and cook 3 to 4 minutes or until no longer pink. Stir in oregano, cumin, cinnamon, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Remove from heat. Stir in quinoa and half of mint.

On prepared pan, toss tomatoes, 1/8 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, and 1 teaspoon oil. Arrange zucchini halves, cut sides up, around tomatoes. Mound 3/4 cup beef filling in each zucchini half, packing tightly.

Place pan in preheated oven and bake for approximately 30 minutes, or until tender. Place zucchini and tomatoes on a platter; sprinkle with remaining mint.

A note from the Accidental Chef: Stuffed peppers traditionally calls for rice instead of quinoa.  You may substitute rice or another grain of your preference.  If you use rice, the recipe is still gluten-free.

Kitchen Table Talk…

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