crumbly stuffed zucchini

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 1 zucchini, approx. 600 g
• 1 onion(s)
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 can of tomatoes, peeled, approx. 400 g
• 50 g rice noodles
• 200 g spinach, New Zealand, alternatively 100 g leaf spinach
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper, freshly ground

Instructions

Working time approx. 40 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 1 hour; Total time approx. 1 hour 40 minutes

with rice noodles and spinach on a bed of tomatoes

First, cook the rice noodles in salted water according to the package instructions until al dente. Place in a colander and rinse thoroughly. Leave in the colander until ready to use. Peel the onion and garlic and finely dice. We need 1/2 onion and 1 clove of garlic each for the filling and for the tomatoes, so it’s best to have some ready on plates. Cut off the stem and flower end of the zucchini and cut the zucchini crosswise into 4 pieces. Then carefully scoop out the soft insides with a spoon, making sure to leave a 1 cm thick piece of the base at the bottom. For New Zealand spinach, remove the leaves from the thick stems; smaller young shoots can be used with the stems. Wash the spinach thoroughly and drain in a colander. Chop the leaves slightly. Alternatively, wash the leaf spinach thoroughly and, depending on the size of the leaves, chop them slightly. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a pan until slightly hot and fry half of the onion and garlic for about 2 minutes, then add the spinach and a small splash of water. Put the lid on the pan so the spinach can wilt. Mix everything together and continue cooking with the lid closed for about 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, add the rice noodles and season with salt and pepper to taste. Stuff the zucchini with the mixture. Now add the slightly chopped peeled tomatoes, including their liquid, the rest of the onion and garlic, and 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a higher casserole dish. Season with salt and pepper and mix thoroughly. Place the stuffed zucchini on top and drizzle with the remaining olive oil. Cover the pan and simmer the stuffed zucchini over low heat for 35-40 minutes until tender. They shouldn’t get too soft, so check them with a sharp knife to see if they’re cooked through. I had a little bit of the filling left over. I then simply mixed these into the tomatoes after cooking and before serving.