Stuffed Zucchini Braised in Tomato Sauce

This is a wonderful summertime dish that uses a vegetable of the season, zucchini, as a surprising vehicle for a pork and mortadella filling. The stuffed zucchini are as suitable as a starter as they are as a light main course and they don’t have to be served piping hot, which lends them to casual, spontaneous entertaining.

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Step 1

Trim the ends off each zucchini. Use an apple corer to cut straight down the center from each end, twisting to remove the insides. Use a paring knife to trim most of the residual interior flesh, leaving a ½-inch shell. Reserve the flesh (and seeds) for the filling.

Step 2

Heat a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Pour in 6 tablespoons of the oil and heat the oil until it is shimmering and almost smoking. Add the onions and the reserved zucchini flesh and seeds, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, until the vegetables are softened and lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside to cool slightly.

Step 3

Scrape the onion-zucchini mixture onto a cutting board and finely chop it. Spread the mixture out on a large plate or baking sheet and set aside to cool completely.

Step 4

Put the fresh bread crumbs and milk in a small mixing bowl and stir them together. Let soak for 10 to 12 minutes.

Step 5

Put the pork and mortadella in a large mixing bowl. Squeeze the bread crumbs free of excess milk and add them to the bowl, then stir in the cooled onion mixture and the tomato paste. Gently stir in the parsley, 2 tablespoons olive oil, the egg, ½ cup of the Parmigiano, and the nutmeg, taking care not to overmix. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon the mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a number 7 (K-inch) plain tip. (If you do not have a pastry bag, transfer the filling to a large resealable plastic bag, squeeze the air out of the bag, seal, and snip off a bottom corner to mimic a pastry bag.)

Step 6

Pipe the filling into the hollowed-out zucchini, putting the filled zucchini on a large plate.

Step 7

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 325°F.

Step 8

Coat a square or rectangular baking dish large enough to hold the zucchini in a single layer with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add the tomato sauce and use a spoon to spread it evenly over the bottom of the dish. Arrange the stuffed zucchini on the sauce and drizzle the remaining 1 tablespoon oil over them, using a clean finger to spread the oil over the zucchini. Top with ¼ cup of the toasted bread crumbs.

Step 9

Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake until the zucchini are tender to the tines of a fork and the filling is cooked through, about 15 minutes. Remove the foil, scatter the remaining ¼ cup Parmigiano and ¼ cup toasted bread crumbs over the zucchini, and bake until the cheese is melted and the tomato sauce is bubbling, about 6 more minutes.

Step 10

Remove the dish from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes, then divide the stuffed zucchini and sauce among 4 plates. Serve.