Here's a really interesting and delicious take on meatloaf - baked in hollowed out zucchini. Serve with garlic bread and a green salad.
A mum of two teenagers, i rarely find a meal that all four of us enjoy. I used only 500gms of mince and that made plenty, with leftovers for lunch. This dish is easy and delicious. I will be making it again. - 08 Jan 2012
These green, meaty boats looked so awesome going into the oven and I had really high hopes for the outcome, but I was a little disappointed. I will definitely make them again, but not without a couple changes. The "1 large zucchini" written for the original recipe, must've been from a mutant garden strain b/c I scaled the meat back to 1 lb. and ended up cramming 3 1/2 medium zucchinis with the meatloaf mixture, as well as making a couple random meatballs on the side. The end result was unfortunately on the bland side, (splash splash of Sriracha to the rescue!) so next time around, the meat and sauteed veggies need to be more heavily seasoned, possibly w/ more garlic, red pepper flakes, thyme, oregano, Italian Seasoning, etc... Also, I think I would rather prepare these like a stuffed bell pepper where I'd brown the meat prior to stuffing, then just pop the boats in the oven to melt the cheese, only b/c I wasn't too thrilled with the accumulation of grease in the zucchinis. Oh yeah, I also dropped it to 1 egg and 1/2 c. Italian bread crumbs, since I had a little less meat, and the bake time was dead-on. Overall a 3.5 star recipe that (CHEER! My 3-year old gobbled up!) might just need some tweaking b4 I'd make again. - 19 Aug 2010 (Review from Allrecipes USA and Canada)
I've been making these for years and we love them! If you use ground round there shouldn't be an accumulation of grease in the zucchini boat. If all I have is ground chuck (with 15% fat) then you are better off browning the meat first and mixing then mixing it with some of the sauce. Terrific way to use zucchini when your garden is producing more than you can handle! Toss a salad & serve with crusty bread or garlic toast. - 20 Aug 2010 (Review from Allrecipes USA and Canada)