Stuffed 8-Ball Zucchini - Unique single serving size zucchini stuffed with bacon, tomato, onion, cheese, and seasoned bread crumbs.

Last weekend, BeeBop and I spent 3 wonderful, relaxing days in Beaufort on the South Carolina coast. Neither of us had been there before but we have long loved the area. Both Savannah and Charleston are favorites of ours. The culture and charm of that whole region are very appealing to us.

Since Beaufort is located in between those two larger cities, we thought we'd give it a try at least once and we were not disappointed. Beaufort has a long, complex history and the architecture is breathtaking. If you'd like to see some of what we saw take a look at these Beaufort photos I uploaded to Flickr.

One of the most interesting things we saw was the ruins of Old Sheldon Church, a spot we almost missed. When we were on our way back Monday morning, we turned down a road we had not taken on the way over. Not long after, I just happened to look to my right and saw an absolutely beautiful sight. We quickly turned around and went back to investigate.

If you're ever in the area of Beaufort, take time to find Old Sheldon Church. It's a hauntingly beautiful place.

Just a little further down the road, we spotted a produce stand and, of course, we pulled over to investigate. Got fresh, local peaches and strawberries, but the star of that stand was these little 8-Ball zucchini.

Have you seen these before? I had seen them on the internet, but never for sale. Naturally, I grabbed several. When we got back home I started looking for a recipe for these perfect, single-serving sized zucchini.

I found a great recipe on Soupbelly, a gorgeous blog with wonderful recipes and beautiful photography. The combination of flavors in this is really delicious.

I mean, really, how could you go wrong when you start with three slices of bacon? Then add onion, tomato, cheese and bread crumbs. Really.

Stuffed 8-Ball Zucchini - Unique single serving size zucchini stuffed with bacon, tomato, onion, cheese, and seasoned bread crumbs. Click To Tweet

How to Make Stuffed 8-Ball Zucchini

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Slice the tops off each zucchini. Set them aside and reserve for later. Hollow out each zucchini, chop and reserve the pulp.

Hollowing out the zucchini is very easy if you have a grapefruit spoon. Those serrated edges really cut right through the pulp.

Chop the tomato and onion and set aside.

Cut the bacon crosswise into 1/4” pieces. Add it to the skillet over medium-high heat and cook until the bacon has browned and rendered most of its fat.

Add the reserved zucchini pulp, tomato, and onion and cook for 4-5 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat and add bread crumbs and 2/3 of the cheese reserving some for topping. Stir well to combine all ingredients. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as desired.

Sprinkle each hollowed zucchini lightly with salt and pepper and stuff with the mixture. Place stuffed zucchini in a shallow baking dish or pan and add chicken stock to a depth of about 1/4 inch.

Place the pan in the oven and cook for 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes, remove from the oven and add remaining cheese to the top of each zucchini. Place the reserved zucchini tops in the stock. Return to the oven and cook for 20 more minutes or until the zucchini is tender.

Enjoy!

More Zucchini Recipes on Never Enough Thyme:

8-Ball Zucchini Recipes from Other Bloggers:



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Stuffed 8 Ball Zucchini Unique 8-ball zucchini stuffed with bacon, tomato, onion, and cheese. 4.46 from 11 votes Print Pin Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 50 minutes Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes Servings: 2 servings Calories: 720 kcal Author: Lana Stuart Ingredients 2 “8 Ball” Zucchini

3 slices bacon

1 to mato peeled and chopped

1/2 medium onion chopped

3/4 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

1/2 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs

1/2 to 1 cup chicken stock

Salt

Pepper Instructions Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Slice the tops off each zucchini. Set aside and reserve for later.

Hollow out each zucchini, chop and reserve the pulp.

Chop the tomato and onion and set aside.

Cut the bacon crosswise into 1/4” pieces. Add to skillet over medium-high heat and cook until bacon has browned and rendered most of its fat.

Add the reserved zucchini pulp, tomato and onion and cook for 4-5 minutes.

Remove pan from heat and add bread crumbs and 2/3 of the cheese reserving some for topping. Stir well to combine all ingredients. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as desired.

Stuff each hollowed zucchini with mixture. Place in a shallow baking dish or pan and add chicken stock to a depth of about 1/4 inch.

Place the pan in the oven and cook for 20 minutes.

Remove from oven and add remaining cheese to top of each zucchini. Place the reserved zucchini tops in the stock. Return to oven and cook for 20 more minutes or until the zucchini is tender. Notes Nutrition Information Serving: 1 g Calories: 720 kcal Carbohydrates: 54 g Protein: 43 g Fat: 40 g Saturated Fat: 20 g Polyunsaturated Fat: 15 g Trans Fat: 1 g Cholesterol: 103 mg Sodium: 1646 mg Fiber: 12 g Sugar: 20 g Nutrition information is calculated by software based on the ingredients in each recipe. It is an estimate only and is provided for informational purposes. You should consult your health care provider or a registered dietitian if precise nutrition calculations are needed for health reasons. Tried this recipe? Mention @NevrEnoughThyme or tag #NevrEnoughThyme