South of the Border Zucchini Bake Recipe

Zucchini Stars in a New & Different One-Dish Meal

Sep 4, 2008 Karen Hancock

Looking for new recipes to use up the zucchini growing in the garden? This new South of the Border Zucchini Bake will draw raves from everyone.

Zucchini is one of the most versatile summer vegetables and is included in the native cuisine of many countries across the globe. Mexico is no exception; zucchini is a primary ingredient in dozens of traditional Mexican dishes ranging from the famous calabacitas, a medley of zucchini, yellow squash, onions, and corn, to lesser known, but equally good soups, salads and main dishes. South of the Border Zucchini Bake includes zucchini with other Mexican spices and ingredients to make a quick and easy one-dish meal that will be loved by everyone.

It seems that the zucchini in most gardens grow from tiny to huge overnight. It’s important to watch them, however, since zucchini are most tender and have less seeds when they are less than 8” long and 1-1 1/2 inches in diameter. Slightly larger zucchini, between 10-12” long, are ideal for stuffing. Larger zucchini are often seedy and tough – not good for much of anything except maybe to shred and use in cakes and breads.

To save time, this recipe can be made with leftover rice, or fresh rice can be cooked in about 20 minutes while the ground beef is browning with the onions and the remaining ingredients are being assembled. It can also be prepared a day ahead and refrigerated until ready to bake. Whichever method is used, this dish will become a summer favorite and a permanent addition to the zucchini recipe file.

South of the Border Zucchini Bake

6 Servings

  • 1 pound lean ground beef
  • 1 finely chopped medium onion
  • 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 quartered lengthwise and cut into 1" chunks medium zucchini
  • 1 4 oz. can diced green chilies
  • 3 cups cooked rice
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 2 cups shredded cheddar jack cheese
  • 3 Roma tomatoes, sliced

Directions:

  1. Brown the ground beef, onion, and garlic in a large skillet; add the salt, chili powder, and black pepper.
  2. Quarter the zucchini lengthwise, then cut the quarters into 1” chunks.
  3. Add the zucchini chunks to the ground beef mixture.
  4. Stir until the zucchini is heated through, but not cooked.
  5. Turn off the heat and stir in the green chilies, rice, sour cream and 1 cup of the cheese.
  6. Transfer the mixture to a 2 quart casserole dish; arrange the tomato slices on top and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
  7. Bake in a preheated 350° oven for 20-30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Nutritional Amount Per Serving:

  • Calories 555 Calories from Fat 293
  • Percent Total Calories From: Fat 53% Protein 21% Carb. 26%
  • Nutrient Amount per Serving
  • Total Fat 33 g 50%
  • Saturated Fat 15 g 77%
  • Cholesterol 108 mg 36%
  • Sodium 503 mg 21%
  • Total Carbohydrate 36 g 12%
  • Dietary Fiber 1 g 4%
  • Sugars 0 g
  • Protein 29 g
  • Vitamin A 26% Vitamin C 30% Calcium 0% Iron 21%

The copyright of the article South of the Border Zucchini Bake Recipe in Seasonal Cooking is owned by Karen Hancock. Permission to republish South of the Border Zucchini Bake Recipe in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
South of the Border Zucchini Bake, Karen Hancock South of the Border Zucchini Bake
   
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