Stuffed 8 Ball Zucchini
Stuffed 8 Ball Zucchini – Unique single serving size zucchini stuffed with bacon, tomato, onion, cheese, and seasoned bread crumbs.
A few years ago, BeeBop and I spent several very relaxing days in Beaufort on the South Carolina coast. Neither of us had been to Beaufort before but we have long loved that area. Both Savannah and Charleston are favorites of ours. The culture and charm of the 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. It has a long, complex history and the architecture is breathtaking. If you’d like to see a bit 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 leaving, 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? Naturally, I grabbed several to bring home and stuff with this delicious filling of bacon, onion, tomato, cheese, and bread crumbs. If you don’t have access to cute round zucchini, you can certainly use this filling with the more common shape to make stuffed zucchini boats.
🛒 Ingredient Notes
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- “8 Ball” Zucchini — These uniquely shaped zucchini make a lovely presentation but you won’t typically find them in your local grocery store. Look for them in farmers’ markets or buy a packet of seeds and grow your own! If you don’t have access to them, simply substitute with two average-sized long zucchini in the recipe.
- Bacon – My preferred brand of bacon is always Smithfield. Use whatever you like best.
- Tomato – Choose a medium-sized, nicely ripened tomato.
- Onion – Pick a medium sized yellow, white, or red onion.
- Sharp Cheddar Cheese – I always reach for extra sharp cheddar for my recipes. Mild or medium is fine, too.
- Dry Bread Crumbs – I do specify Italian seasoned bread crumbs in the recipe. If you have plain bread crumbs, simply add a teaspoon of mixed Italian seasoning.
- Chicken Stock (or broth) – Adding stock in the bottom of the pan prevents the zucchini from scorching and also adds additional flavor. If you’re out of broth, just use water.
You’ll find detailed measurements for all ingredients in the printable version of the recipe at the bottom of this post.
🔪 How to Make Stuffed 8-Ball Zucchini
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Slice the tops off each zucchini. Set them aside for later.
- Hollow out each zucchini, chop, and reserve the pulp.
👉 PRO TIP: 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 it aside.
- Cut the bacon crosswise into 1/4” pieces. Add it to a 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. Cook for 4-5 minutes or until the onion begins to soften.
- Remove the pan from the heat and add the bread crumbs and about 2/3 of the cheese reserving some for the topping. Stir well to combine all the ingredients. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper if needed.
- Sprinkle each hollowed zucchini lightly with salt and pepper and stuff it with the mixture. Place the 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 the pan from the oven and add the remaining cheese to the top of each zucchini. Place the reserved zucchini tops in the stock. Return the pan to the oven and cook for 20 more minutes or until the zucchini is tender.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly. Place the softened tops back on the zucchini for serving.
🔀 Variations
- Add two finely minced cloves of garlic to the filling.
- Stir in 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes for a bit of heat and spiciness.
- Swap out the cheddar cheese for mozzarella.
- Use plain bread crumbs and add fresh basil and oregano to the tomato and onion filling.
🍽️ How to Serve
I served this as a side dish with Grilled Boneless Chicken Thighs and a fresh tossed salad. It’s also delicious alongside my Lemon and Honey Glazed Chicken Thighs. I could also see that as a nice entree for a meatless dinner.
HAVE YOU TRIED THIS RECIPE?
I’d LOVE to know what you thought!
Leave a rating below in the comments and let me know how you liked it!
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📖 Recipe
Stuffed 8 Ball Zucchini
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.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly. Place the softened tops back on the zucchini for serving.
Notes
Nutrition Information
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.
— This post was originally published on June 4, 2010. It has been updated with additional information.
I grew some this year for the first time really nice stuffed some oh so good I used smoked ham instead of bacon. Wow!
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.
Great to hear, Anne! We really enjoy these flavors, too.
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!
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!
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.
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.
I am eating on these right now and they are delicious!