Stuffed Zucchini

By the end of May I'm in heaven, because the local farmer's market opens up less than five minutes from our house. The farm fresh produce is almost worth loading up three kids, the baby carrier, and double stroller; all of which takes no less than thirty minutes and usually results in someone needing to potty or having a wardrobe malfunction just before we walk out the door. I can assure you, we do not head out to the farmer's market for inexpensive produce! Even though the produce is local, you are paying small town farmers to grow it as apposed to large commercial farms.  The taste of fresh, locally grown produce just be beat. And even at the farmer'a market, there are deals to be had. This recipe was inspired by one!

Ingredients:

3 large zucchini (or 4-6 medium, stay away from the small ones, they are best for sautéing)

1 lb ground turkey

1/2 lb bacon

1 medium onion, diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

8oz mushrooms, diced

1 tomato, diced (you can sub canned diced tomatoes, just drain them first)

4-6oz feta crumbles

1-2 cups shredded Parmesan
Salt and Pepper to taste

Recipe:

Preheat oven to 350.

Wash then slice zucchini length wise.

Scoop out zucchini pulp. (I like using a large spoon, rounded side up.) You can reserve the pulp for the filling or toss it if it is overly seedy or dry.

Place zucchini scooped side up on a baking sheet. Bake until just starting to soften, about 20 minutes.

Cook bacon in a large skillit over medium high heat. Remove to cool and discard all but about 1-2 table spoons.

Brown turkey in the large skillet with the reserved bacon grease.

Remove zucchini from the oven.

Dice the onion, pepper, mushrooms, and bacon; add these to the browned turkey. Sautée over medium heat until soft, about 10-15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Dice the tomato; add this and the zucchini pulp to the skillet. Sautéed until the zucchini is soft. About 5 minutes.

Mix in crumbled feta.

Spoon stuffing into the baked zucchini halves. 

(At this point you could freeze the zucchini for a future date. Just thaw to room temp and continue with the next step.)

Top with Parmesan cheese. Return to oven until cheese is browned. About 10-15 minutes. (The more Parmesan you use, the longer it will take. You might try putting under the broiler on low for 5 minutes if you are in a hurry!)