Stuffed 8 Ball Zucchini

Unique 8-ball zucchini stuffed with bacon, tomato, onion, and cheese.

4.6 from 16 votes

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 50 minutes minutes

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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 to bring home and stuff with this delicious filling of bacon, onion, tomato, cheese, and bread crumbs.

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.

Stuffed 8 Ball Zucchini

Unique 8-ball zucchini stuffed with bacon, tomato, onion, and cheese.

4.57 from 16 votes

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Course: Vegetables

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes

Servings: 2 servings

Calories: 376kcal

Author: Lana Stuart

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Ingredients

• ▢ 2 “8 Ball” Zucchini
• ▢ 3 slices bacon
• ▢ 1 tomato peeled and chopped
• ▢ ½ medium onion chopped
• ▢ ¾ cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
• ▢ ½ cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
• ▢ ½ cup chicken stock (may need up to 1 cup)
• ▢ 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 ¼” 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 ⅔ 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 ¼ 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

Equipment

Cutting Board

Knives

10-Inch Skillet

Nutrition Information

Serving 1 | Calories 376kcal | Carbohydrates 34g | Protein 20g | Fat 19g | Saturated Fat 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat 2g | Monounsaturated Fat 5g | Cholesterol 48mg | Sodium 772mg | Potassium 871mg | Fiber 5g | Sugar 11g | Vitamin A 1389IU | Vitamin C 46mg | Calcium 406mg | Iron 3mg

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.

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