By Lina Qadri

e all love stuffed zucchini. But what to do when we don’t have the tool to scoop them out? Here is an easy recipe that tastes almost the same as stuffed zucchini yet requires no special tool (and thus can be prepared in no time).

Ingredients
Vegetable dish:
10 medium zucchini (or any other vegetable)
1 small onion
60 ml oil (canola or olive oil, or a mixture of the two)
5 medium tomatoes
5 tablespoons of tomato paste mixed in 2 cups of water
2 cloves of garlic
salt and pepper to taste

Rice: 
2 c rice
300g of ground meat
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cardamom
½ tsp cumin
½ c canola oil
1 tsp turmeric
2 tsp salt (or to taste)
3 c water

Method 
Soak the rice in water for one hour before beginning the recipe.
Rinse and drain.
Add the meat, spices, and oil, and mix well.
Place the mixture in a pan and sauté for a few minutes.
After the meat is browned and fragrant, add the boiling water.
After one minute, reduce the heat and cover the pan.
Simmer the rice on low for about 15 minutes or until done.
Open and stir once, then keep it covered to prevent the steam from escaping.

Meanwhile, start to prepare the vegetables.
Cut the zucchini into medium-sized pieces.
Dice the tomatoes.
Chop the onions.
Heat a pan and add the oil, garlic, and onions.
Sauté for two minutes while stirring.
Add the zucchini.
Season with salt and pepper and sauté, stirring, for another two minutes.
Add the diced tomatoes.
Add the tomato paste mixed in water.
Simmer on medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes.
To serve, place the rice on one side of the plate and the zucchini on the other.
Garnish with some parsley.

Enjoy!

To make this recipe vegan, you can replace the rice and meat with freekeh, or couscous.

Sahhaa o afieh.