Curry Stuffed Zucchini Cups {Recipe Redux}

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I have a record of making things harder for myself. For example:

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A delightful Easter repast? So much more, dear reader. Those are deviled quail eggs, a dish featured on THIH over three years ago and whose name is made up of two parts that should never, ever go together. For readers unfamiliar with quail eggs, know this: Each egg is the size of a thumbnail. Seriously.

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I share this moment of utter insanity with you because of the process to prepare this month’s Recipe Redux.

With produce galore, now’s a great time to enjoy lots of fruits and vegetables. Show us how you’re serving the bounty of gardens and orchards in shapes like ribbons, noodles, cut-outs, or other creative cuts.

Lest you think this is a post stuffed with negativity, allow me to say upfront that I loved the results of the dish I cooked. The next time I prepare it, I will make one crucial change.

But I’m ahead of myself.

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As mentioned in the last post, Baby J is exploring solid foods, which means we’ve had plenty of zucchini (a hit with the baby) and organic ground beef (a foul substance with a taste akin to the bile of hatred, according to the baby) on hand. I’ve seen dishes made with zucchini “boats” at restaurants. Hearkening back to the days of pre-baby enthusiasm, I decided to one-up these professional establishments by making zucchini cups. Because, clearly, hunching over sections of zucchini the size of baby food jars and scraping out the insides will take no time at all.

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I kid. Actually, these curry stuffed zucchini cups were oodles of fun to make, and Peter and I enjoyed chowing down on them with a side of brown rice. Ever since coming across the inappropriate zucchini last year, I’ve been on the hunt for less traditional zucchini recipes (Bonus: Use the zucchini insides from this recipe to make the pumpkin zucchini mini muffins from that post).

Lean ground beef provides plenty of protein, while peas and curry give this dish a unique twist. Top with yogurt or sour cream and cilantro for an attractive appetizer or main dish for a party (in this case, a party of two adults, one baby, and one zucchini-loving dog). This dish is truly pleasing to the eye as well as the palate.

Next time? I’m making zucchini boats.

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Curry Stuffed Zucchini Cups

  Prep Time: 20 minutes

  Cook Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients (12 cups)

  • 2 tablespoons canola oil
  • 1/2 pound beef, ground
  • 2 shallots, peeled and chopped fine
  • 2/3 cups fresh or frozen peas
  • 1 teaspoon curry powder
  • 4 large zucchini or yellow squash
  • yogurt
  • cilantro

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add beef and cook, stirring and breaking up lumps, for 7 minutes or until meat is almost cooked through. Drain excess fat, if necessary. Add onion and cook for 3 minutes or until onion is soft. Add peas and remove from heat.

While meat mixture cooks, wash squash and trim ends. Cut width-wise into three or four sections about 3-4 inches long. Use a small spoon to scoop out squash insides, leaving some on one end so that each section forms a cup. Place hollow end up on a lined baking sheet, stuff with meat mixture, and bake for 20 minutes.

Remove from oven and remove to serving plates. Top with dabs of yogurt and sprigs of cilantro, if desired.

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P.S. Celebrate summer’s bounty with more delicious recipes!

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6 Comments

  1. That looks delicious! Definitely need to try that!

  2. Haha, you crack me up! These are definitely a labor of love, but they really look phenomenal! As far as those deviled quail eggs…that’s just craziness! LOL!

    1. Thanks, Sonali! 🙂

  3. Sounds VERY familiar – that was totally me pre-baby and a little post baby too. Even though my daughter is now 9 years old, I have yet to go back to the laborious apps but I definitely would try these!

    1. I think this was the last time I try to fancy it up … at least, for a little while 😉

  4. I love your zucchini cups! You are definitely giving fancy restaurants a run for their money! 😉 But, yeah, I would stick with zucchini boats myself…

    Glad Baby J likes zucchini. It’s fun to see their reactions to different foods (and how they change over the years).

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