In-season and on your supermarket shelves right now: colorful bell-peppers, tomatoes, eggplant, and squash -- all ripe for the stuffing! Pack them with creamy cheese or hearty ground meat for a simple weeknight meal -- or gussy them up with garnish to serve at dinner parties. Here are 15 stuffed vegetable recipes to try this month.
Tips for making stuffed bell peppers: Select peppers that are flat on the bottom -- they stand up better while cooking. Stuffed baby peppers are also great hors d'oeuvres for a summer co*cktail party.
Above: Stuffed Red Bell Peppers - For this easy one-pot meal, peppers are filled with ground beef and rice.
Giada De Laurentiis's Pancetta-Stuffed Peppers - "My mother always loved to serve stuffed vegetables; she stuffed zucchini, potatoes, onions, and, of course, all kinds of peppers," De Laurentiis writes. "It may have been her way of getting us to eat our vegetables, but we loved them so much we ate them right out of the fridge the next day. I've used pancetta in the filling, but this is an easy recipe to vary and you could certainly substitute ground beef, sausage -- almost anything savory that you like. These taste better the longer they sit, so they make great leftovers."
Stuffed Baby Bell Peppers - The cutest!
Tips for making stuffed tomatoes: Reserve the juices, pulp and seeds to add into the filling or blend with vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper to make a light vinaigrette for salads.
Tomatoes Stuffed with Guacamole - "Long before guacamole, tortilla chips, and Margaritas became a popular light dinner, guacamole was often served in tomatoes."
Romaine- and Egg-Stuffed Tomatoes with Pancetta - "Left whole and baked, these plump tomatoes encase a soft-cooked egg and romaine pesto. Their interesting presentation is sure to turn some heads."
Cherry Tomatoes Stuffed with Marinated Feta - "They're a great side dish, appetizer, or afternoon snack."
Tomatoes Stuffed with Fresh Mozzarella and Basil - "A basil vinaigrette is served in a shot glass alongside each tomato; guests can drizzle it on to taste."
Tip for making stuffed eggplant: Using a melon-ball cutter (instead of a spoon or knife) is the easiest way to hollow out the vegetable's spongy flesh.
Lebanese Style Stuffed Eggplant - "Once you slice through the silky flesh to reveal a fragrantly seasoned lamb and rice stuffing, this deceptively simple one-dish dinner is absolutely luscious and satisfying. "
Eggplant Cannelloni - You'll forget all about pasta with this healthy dish of sliced eggplant stuffed with creamy goat cheese and served on top of pureed roasted red peppers.
Tips for making stuffed zucchini: We've found that an apple corer is the best tool to scoop out the delicate flesh of the squash. The flowers can also be stuffed for an elegant appetizer.
Crab-Stuffed Zucchini Flowers with Mustard Butter Sauce - "These large yellow blossoms are the flowers that form on the fruit of the zucchini plant. They have a beautiful color, a delicate texture and a slight peppery taste. Filled with a creamy mixture of sweet crabmeat, they are steamed and then dressed with a creamy mustard butter sauce."
Squash Blossoms Stuffed with Ricotta - "Talk about flower power. As every gardener knows, late summer brings a bumper crop of zucchini and, better yet, of zucchini blossoms--known in Italy as fiori di zucca. Here, the tender yellow-orange blooms are filled with ricotta, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and mint, then batter-fried. Served alongside an easy tomato sauce (dip as you like), they make an irresistible first course or, with the addition of a green salad, a satisfying main."
More to try:
James Beard's Stuffed Zucchini Hors d'Oeuvres - They're stuffed with chopped olives, capers, parsley, and anchovies, then topped with crispy breadcrumbs.
Lebanese Stuffed Zucchini - "Claritas — pale green, slightly rounded zucchini — are traditionally used in this dish, but we find that yellow zucchini make for a more attractive presentation because they don't discolor when cooked in tomato sauce."
Zucchini Stuffed with Feta and Dill - This 5-ingredient dish can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.
Italian-American Stuffed Zucchini - "This version, with veal, is a little heartier than most and can definitely be served as an entrée, but it can also function as a side dish or appetizer for a multicourse feast."
What's your favorite kind of stuffed vegetable? Tell us in the comments, below.
