Stuffed Zucchini with minced beef in Avgolemono sauce
A delicious and nutritious Greek meal with stuffed zucchini in Avgolemono sauce.
Stuffed Zucchini with minced beef in Avgolemono sauce tips and tricks
This will be an easy meal to prepare if you follow my instructions but I would like to point out a few tips and tricks if you aim for perfection!
1) Season it well
It would be very hard to season this dish after it is cooked so you should season the stuffing well while it’s still uncooked.
2) Keep the Avgolemono sauce separate
I make a big batch every time I make this dish so I usually have leftovers that I keep in the fridge for the next day. The reason I keep the Avgolemono separate is because it does not heat up nicely in the microwave. That happens with any egg-based sauce. This is a dish that can also be eaten cold so the next day I heat up the zucchini and add the Avgolemono sauce cold on top of the hot zucchini. If I run out of Avgolemono sauce I squeeze a little lemon on top and that’s it!
3) Serve it with fried potatoes and feta!
This dish does not need any additional side dishes but if you have a few potato fries and Feta cheese on your table it will be a truly amazing meal!
The video has subtitles in English, Greek, and more than 30 languages.
Stuffed Zucchini with minced beef in Avgolemono sauce
Ingredients:
For the filling:
- 22 medium size Zucchini (about 3 kg)
- 250g minced Beef
- 100g medium grain rice, washed and drained (1/2 teacup)
- 1 Onion, very finely chopped or grated
- 1/2 cup fresh Dill, finely chopped
- 1/3 cup fresh Parsley, finely chopped
- 1 pinch fresh Spearmint, finely chopped (optional)*
- 3 Spring Onions, cut into rings
- 1 Carrot, very finely cubed or grated
- 2 cloves of Garlic, minced
- 1 handful of the zucchini core, very finely chopped or blended
- 3 Tbsp Olive oil, extra virgin (for the filling)
- 3 Tbsp Olive Oil, for cooking
- Juice from 1 lemon
- 700ml Water (2.5 cups)
- 2 pinch of Salt
- 1 pinch of Pepper
For the Avgolemono sauce:
- 6 Tbsp Lemon Juice (1 Lemon)
- 600ml from the ZUCCHINI WATER or plain water (2 cups)*
- 1 Tbsp BUTTER
- 1 Tbsp FLOUR all-purpose
- 1 Tbsp CORNSTARCH
- 2 EGGS, lightly beaten
Instructions:
- Wash all the zucchini and scoop out their core with the special tool or a long spoon.
- Clean, wash, prepare and chop all the ingredients.
- Put 1 handful of the zucchini core into a food processor and use the pulse button to chop it into small pieces.
- In a large bowl, add all the ingredients for the filling: the zucchini chopped cores, the ground beef, the rice, the dill, the parsley, the spearmint, the onion, the green onions, and the garlic together with 2 Tbsp Olive oil, 2 pinches of Salt, and a pinch of pepper.
- Mix all the ingredients very well, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and let it rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Fill the zucchini with a teaspoon and stack them inside the pot in a circular array. Add the bigger ones on the bottom and the smaller ones on top.
- Pour about 2.5 cups of water (700ml), which is enough to cover half the pot and a little more, and an additional 3 Tbsp Olive oil.
- Bring to a boil over high heat then reduce the heat and let them simmer for about 30 minutes.
- After 30 min simmer check with a fork and if they are fork tender pour the juice from 1 lemon.
- Turn on the heat and let it boil for 5 minutes and the zucchini are ready.
- Strain their juice to use in the Avgolemono sauce (like I display in the video) or you can use plain water if you prefer.
- For the Avgolemono sauce: Beat the eggs lightly, dissolve the cornstarch in it and set aside.
- In a saucepot over high heat, put the butter and once it melts, add the flour, stirring constantly.
- Pour in the juice from the zucchini and the lemon juice stirring constantly. Let it boil and take it off the heat.
- Pour 2-3 soup spoons from the saucepot juice into the eggs slowly, stirring constantly with an egg beater.
- After the eggs come to temperature, pour them into the saucepot (off the heat) and mix well.
- Return the saucepot to the stove stirring over medium heat with an egg beater until it thickens.
- Remove from the heat and serve immediately over the zucchini on your plate*.
- Stuffed zucchini goes well with Feta cheese, fried potatoes, and toasted bread!
Notes:
- You may also use plain water to make the Avgolemono if you prefer.
- I rather keep the Avgolemono sauce separate from the zucchini because it does not heat well in the microwave.
- I often skip the spearmint if I don’t have it handy.
- 2 pinches of Salt are the minimum for this dish.
- Recipes, Greek Traditional
- avgolemono, carrot, dill, Greek traditional recipe, lemon juice, minced beef, olive oil, parsley, zucchini
- CUISINE: Greek Traditional
- Recipe by: Christina Karagianni
Did you make this recipe? Or are you planning to make it? Let me know in the comments below, tag me on Instagram @freshpiato or show me your photos on Pinterest!
