Here is one from my Lebanese son-in-law. I haven't tried it but my daughter LOVES it!

Stuffed Zucchinis

5 med. zucchinis with centers cored out

Stuffing:

1/2 cup short grain rice that has soaked in water for a half
hour

1/2 - 1 lb cooked ground beef (depending on your affinity
for meat)

1/4 tsp. allspice

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1tsp. salt

-------

8 oz. tomato sauce (or crushed tomatoes)

3 cups water

6 tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp. dried mint

2 cloves crushed garlic

Drain rice and mix with the rest of the stuffing
ingredients. Fill each zucchini 3/4 full and place standing up in a stock
pot.

In a separate bowl, mix the remaining ingredients and pour
over zucchinis. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and cook for an
hour or until rice is tender.

Eggplant may be substituted for zucchini and if you
don' t want the hassle of coring the vegetables, just cut in slices and cook in
sauce and serve over rice.

Linda

Linda's recipe sounds pretty similar to what I do. Except I often start with already cooked rice, brown the meat (lamb would be my favorite, ground beef more likely to happen though). I would then stuff the zucchini and bake. I would also be inclined to add a bit of red chile to the stuffing and would serve with a yogurt sauce. Makes me hungry just thinking about it.

Linda's recipe resembles my grandmother's, but she used to lightly fry the zucchinis after coring them and (i think) before stuffing them - it makes a great difference. Tastes far better. I had this dish with fried and non-fried zucchinis, and the traditional version with fried zucchinis is by far tastier.

The ground meat also gets fried (with chopped onions) prior to stuffing. First you fry the chopped onions and them add the meat.

I think my grandmother used short grain rice.

Instead of tomato etc. it's possible to use broth. Meat broth is best. Chicken also OK.

Thanks everyone! I think I am going to make a version of Eileen's except use sweet Italian sausage for the ground beef and add in some bread crumbs and some fresh tomato. I found a Stuffed Zucchini recipe on Food Network from that "Farmhouse Rules" show that looks yummy.

Went to the farmer's market this morning and got 4 huge zuchs that are destined for the oven!

I was beginning to wonder if I'm the only one who adds the insides back into the stuffing, but the linked FN recipe does so I guess I'm not alone. Haven't made these in forever. They're on the list now!

foodonastump - my grandmother used to add the insides, and it wasn't just zucchini insides. She used to make a huge pot of stuffed zuchhinis, bellpeppers, tomatos. The tomato and zucchini insides would be mixed with the fried meat and rice stuffing.

Sometimes she wouldn't use broth. Just fill the pot with water. This dish "makes" its own broth.

FOAS, I think it depends on how appealing the insides are! Some zucchini get stuffed specifically because they're overgrown and not as tender as they should be. Recently, I've seen some truncheons at the store! But if it's palatable why wouldn't one use the insides? :)

Gardergrlz, that sounds like a good plan. I always invent as I go with this kind of thing. :) The sweet sausage sounds appealing.

Made the stuffed zucchini last night and it was a hit!

I basically sauteed the sweet Italian sausage and added a chopped onion and 2 minced garlic cloves halfway through. After that cooked down a little, I added 2 chopped tomatoes and the chopped zucchini that I scraped out to make "boats", then a dash of salt, pepper, and some dried Italian herb blend. In a separate bowl, I mixed about 2 cups of bread crumbs, 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese, 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, a dash of salt, pepper, and garlic powder.

I ladled the sausage mixture into the boats and then topped the boats with the bread mixture and baked at 400° for about 30-45 minutes.

I served it with some tomato sauce to spoon over. Very yummy!