Cheeseburger Stuffed Zucchini

Zucchini summer squash boats stuffed with deconstructed, gourmet Gouda cheeseburgers. Fresh, hearty and satisfying.

If you happen to still have zucchini staring at you from every corner of the kitchen, begging to be cooked, this is for you. If not, you can stuff something else with the cheeseburger filling like tomatoes, winter squash or even a potato.

The cheeseburger stuffing is made of ground beef, onions, tomatoes and dill pickles in a Gouda cheese béchamel sauce spiked with Dijon mustard. The seeds are scooped out of zucchini and the hollows are filled with the cheeseburger mixture then baked. Super easy. Super tasty.

Preparing vegetables this way makes them much more appealing to picky eaters. By stuffing them with something no one will be able to resist. In my house it’s cheeseburgers. They’re happy to get their cheeseburger fix and I’m thrilled to get some vegetables in them.

Win-win.

Cheeseburger Stuffed Zucchini

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

55 minutes

Yield: 6 zucchini halves

Cheeseburger Stuffed Zucchini

Zucchini summer squash boats stuffed with deconstructed Gouda cheeseburgers.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 pound ground beef (like Sirloin)

1 small yellow onion, diced

coarse salt and fresh black pepper

1 cup fresh tomatoes, diced, seeds removed

1/2 cup dill pickle, diced

Sauce:

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 cup milk

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 + 1/2 cups Gouda cheese, shredded, divided

3 medium zucchini

green onions, snipped with kitchen shears, for serving

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
In a large skillet heat the oil over medium heat, add ground beef and onion. Season well with salt and pepper. Brown the ground beef until cooked through breaking it up as it cooks. Drain off excess grease.
Add the ground beef mixture to a large bowl and mix in tomatoes and pickles.
In the same skillet heat the butter for the sauce over medium-low heat, whisk in flour and cook 1 minute. Whisk in milk and mustard. Bring to a simmer and cook 2 minutes. Turn heat down to low and add 1 cup of the Gouda stirring until completely melted and smooth. Remove from heat and allow to cool a little.
Meanwhile wash the zucchini and slice them in half lengthwise. Scoop out all the seeds leaving the zucchini intact. Place on a large baking sheet or roasting pan.
Stir the cheese sauce into the ground meat. Taste and season with salt and pepper if needed. Spoon the meat into the zucchini boats, sprinkle the tops with the remaining 1/2 cup of Gouda.
Bake 25-30 minutes until heated through. Sprinkle with green onions to serve.

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