Zucchini Boats with Béchamel
Zucchini stuffed or topped with béchamel sauce and baked.
A baked zucchini dish filled or topped with béchamel sauce.
Like stuffed zucchini baked with creamy white sauce.
Slice the zucchini carefully and bake until tender before adding the sauce.
Ingredients
- 2 kg zucchini
- 1 liter milk
- 1 cup cooking cream
- 500 g lean ground meat
- 1 medium onion
- 70 g or 4 tablespoons butter
- 4 tablespoons flour
- 2 cups cheese
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon Aleppo spice blend
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
- 2 tablespoons fried pine nuts, for garnish
Instructions
- Wash the zucchini in a pot or sink, then trim one end, leaving some of the green skin on.
- Boil the zucchini in a pot of plenty of boiling water for about 10 minutes, until half-cooked.
- Transfer the zucchini from the pot to a bowl of cold water or ice water to preserve its green color.
- Drain the zucchini, then cut it in half lengthwise.
- Scoop out the zucchini flesh with a small spoon onto a plate or cutting board, leaving a suitable thickness for the filling.
- Place the oil in a skillet, then add the onion and sauté over medium heat until softened.
- Add the ground meat to the skillet, then add the salt, black pepper, Aleppo spice blend, ginger, and white pepper; stir until the meat is cooked.
- Add the fried pine nuts to the skillet after the meat is cooked and before filling.
- Turn on the heat under the pot to medium, then place the butter in the pot.
- Add the milk to the pot gradually while stirring.
- Add the salt and white pepper to the pot while preparing the béchamel.
- Add the cooking cream to the pot, as it is optional and makes the béchamel richer.
- Add the cheese to the pot after the béchamel has thickened.
- Arrange the hollowed zucchini in a Pyrex baking dish.
- Place a little béchamel in the bottom of the zucchini in the Pyrex dish, then add the prepared meat.
- Place a light layer of béchamel over the meat in the Pyrex dish.
- Distribute the cheese neatly over the top in the Pyrex dish.
- Place the Pyrex dish in the oven at 200°C, with both the top and bottom oven heat on, for about 10 minutes.
- Turn on the top heat only or the bottom heat only, alternating between them, for about 10 additional minutes, until the top is browned and the cheese melts.