Like it? Stuff it! (What's Baking)

My Mom makes the BEST stuffed peppers.  It's one of my favorite dishes.  They're comforting and delicious...and good for you, too!  Yum.

Since my lovely husband is not a fan of peppers, I now have to rely on other vegetables to fulfill my craving.  One of them is zucchini.  These boats are equally as delicious, and very easy to make.  Mom puts rice in her filling, but I don't always...here is a version that I like where I omit it, so it's a great low carb option.

The morning of the day I made this, I bought gouda at my local market that was on sale at a great price.   I decided to use it and it was REALLY good!   I highly recommend it.

Lindsey from Our Share of the Harvest was our What's Baking? hostess this month.  Her challenge was to bake anything you want, as long as you use a local ingredient.  Her blog is great - check it out, especially in the next few days for the rest of the participants' entries!

Stuffed Zucchini Boats
3 zucchini
1 pound ground beef
salt and pepper
garlic powder
1 cup grape tomatoes, chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 teaspoons dried basil
2 tablespoons seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 cup roughly chopped fresh mint
1 cup chopped (or shredded) Gouda cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Trim stem off zucchini and cut down the middle lengthwise.  Scoop guts out of each half, chop them and set aside.  Place zucchini halves on a foil lined baking sheet.

Season beef with salt, pepper and garlic powder and cook in a skillet over medium high heat, until brown.  Add tomatoes, onion, garlic, zucchini guts and basil.  Cook until veggies get soft.  Turn off the heat and add bread crumbs and mint, stirring to combine.

Brush zucchini with a little oil, then fill each boat with beef mixture.  Top with cheese.  Bake for about 30 minutes or until tops turn brown.