Stuffed Zucchini and Squash Shells

Ready to bake

I found this recipe a while ago on Annie's Eats when I was looking for recipes that used fresh rosemary, but at the time I didn't have the other ingredients so I didn't end up making it. However, this week I decided I wanted to try it so I got the few extra things I needed, put on a movie, and started cooking. I changed a few things in the recipe, to make it more my style, namely adding in cayenne pepper to give the filling a little extra kick. I also put in crushed croutons because I needed to use them up and I added in sage because it seemed like it would pair well with the other flavors, I was right - I really loved the spice combo in this filling.

All done and ready to consume

These were a little time consuming to make because of all the chopping (having a kitchen helper would have made this go a lot faster) but they were so yummy!

Definitely try these when you get a chance!


Stuffed Zucchini and Squash Shells (adapted from Annie's Eats recipe)
1 lb. Ground Turkey
3 Zucchini (medium sized)
2 Yellow Squash (medium sized)
1 Onion diced
2 tablespoons Garlic chopped (I always buy the jarred minced garlic packed in water, it's quick and I can't tell the difference)
1 8 oz container Portabella Mushrooms diced
3-4 Tomatoes diced
2-3 tablespoons fresh Basil coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon fresh Rosemary chopped
1-2 teaspoons Sage
1 teaspoon ground Cayenne Pepper
1 teaspoon Salt
fresh ground Pepper to taste
2 tablespoons White Wine optional (this was in the original recipe but I really don't see why, if you don't have any don't worry about it)
2 Eggs
1/2 cup (approx) smashed up Croutons (or bread crumbs)
3/4 cup Parmesan Cheese grated
Olive Oil
Peel and dice up one of the zucchinis and set aside. Slice remaining zucchini and squash in half and scoop out the insides leaving about a 1/4 inch of flesh (so they don't fall apart when stuffed and baking). Dice up the insides and set aside with the other diced zucchini.

The fresh stuff all chopped up!

Saute onion and garlic in a little olive oil for about 5-7 minutes then add in the diced zucchini, zucchini and squash insides, mushrooms, ground turkey, and spices; saute until turkey has browned. Add in the tomatoes and wine and cook for another few minutes.

Cooked up filling mixure

Set aside and cool slightly. Once the mixture has cooled down some mix in the eggs, croutons, and parmesan cheese. Spoon mixture into the halved zucchini and squash shells and place them on a large cookie sheet.

Uncooked stuffed shells

Pour water into the cookie sheet until the water just covers the entire surface (this helps the squash and zucchini not dry out when baking) and bake for 40 minutes at 375 degrees.

Note: There will be a significant amount of leftover filling and you can just bake that in a pie plate right along with the stuffed squashes. I added about half a bag of spinach to the leftover filling because I needed to get rid of it and it tasted really good. (This would probably be pretty good served over toast for breakfast).