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Stuffed 8 Ball Zucchini

Unique 8-ball zucchini stuffed with bacon, tomato, onion, and cheese.
4.6 from 16 votes
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Baked stuffed 8-Ball Zucchini in a green serving dish.

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.

Baked stuffed 8-Ball Zucchini in a green serving dish.

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.

Three round 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.

Zucchini with the centers hollowed out.

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.

Chopped tomato and onion on a cutting board.

Chop the tomato and onion and set aside.

Chopped bacon cooking in a frying pan.

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.

Zucchini pulp, tomato, and onion cooking in frying pan.

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

Adding bread crumbs and cheese to filling.

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.

Collage showing how to stuff the zucchini.

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.

Additional cheese added to tops of stuffed zucchini.

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.

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Baked stuffed 8-Ball Zucchini in a green serving dish.

Stuffed 8 Ball Zucchini

Unique 8-ball zucchini stuffed with bacon, tomato, onion, and cheese.
4.57 from 16 votes
Print It Rate It Save
Course: Vegetables
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings: 2 servings
Calories: 376kcal
Author: Lana Stuart

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

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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35 Comments

  1. I grew some this year for the first time really nice stuffed some oh so good I used smoked ham instead of bacon. Wow!

  2. I accidentally bought a ball zucchini, having never even heard of it before. Made this recipe with one overgrown zucchini and it was perfect for the two of us. It’s a great combination of flavors and I will make it again. Leaving tomorrow in our motorhome and will bring the 2 zucchini that I have now. The ingredients are easy enough to bring along.

  3. Just returned from Beaufort visiting my family and went to my favorite spot, Dempsey’s Farms to pick some tomatoes and sweet corn. They also had some 8 ball squash so I’m looking forward to trying them. The young man who sold them said they are awesome hollowed out with cream cheese and bacon. This recipe sounds amazing!

  4. I had never heard of these until last night when a friend of ours brought us a couple. I can’t wait to try! This recipe looks AWESOME! Think this is on the menu for tonight!

  5. I bought a zucchini plant (2 plants) to put in my garden what a surprise!! when they started to grow I had gotten the wrong plant these were 8 Ball and I did not notice so I looked for a recipe and this one was soooo good I will keep growing these I am going to try frying these like the others.

  6. This recipe is simply delicious. I raise and sell 8 balls at our local farmers mkt. They are delicious and so is this recipe. Think I may try cooking them on the grill someday.