I’ve got an easy dinner recipe for you that you can make in 30 minutes. Are you interested?
Not only am I hungry by the time I get home from work and the gym, but I’m also tired, so dinners must be easy and quick. I feel like I’ve been in a dinner rut lately, making the same things over and over again. Worse, I’ve resorted to bagels and cereal a lot more than I care to admit. I needed to find a new and exciting dinner.
A few years ago I shared a recipe for stuffed zucchini, which is an absolute favorite in our house. I’ve made it for a bunch of family and friends and they love it too. If you have more time or you’re looking for a great make-ahead dinner for hosting, then without a doubt I recommend the stuffed zucchini. If you’re interested in all the same flavors but in way less time, then you’re going to love today’s recipe.
You’ll need to do a bit of multi tasking to make this quickly, but who isn’t doing a bunch of things at the same time pretty much all the time these days. (I apologize in advance that you have to wash three pots. You win some, you lose some.) Start prepping and cooking the delicious beef mixture first. Then cook the rice and zucchini and by the time those are both done everything will be ready. Easy peezy.
Of course you can swap out the rice for another carb and the zucchini for another veggie. My husband went into full leftovers vacuum cleaner mode and ate some of the left over meat mixture with a pile of freshly steamed cauliflower, and on another day combined it with a box of mac and cheese. It’s clearly pretty versatile.
Beef and Zucchini Recipe
(Makes about 4 to 6 servings)
Ingredients:
- 1/3 cup onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 can (14.5 ounce) diced tomatoes (I used the Basil, Garlic, Oregano flavor)
- 1 can (8 ounce) tomato sauce (I used the Basil, Garlic, Oregano flavor)
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tablespoon white sugar
- 1/2 tablespoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 zucchini
- 1 cup uncooked rice (I used minute rice to Minute Rice to cook quicker.)
- (optional) shredded mozzarella cheese sprinkled on top
Directions:
- In a skillet, over Medium heat, cook the chopped onion, minced garlic, and ground beef until the beef is browned.
- Stir in the diced tomatoes and tomato sauce.
- Season with parsley, basil, Italian seasoning, sugar, salt, and pepper.
- Simmer, covered, for about 15 to 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cut the ends off the zucchini and julienne the rest of it into thin sticks.
- Place the zucchini sticks into a slightly greased skillet and cook them until they are done to your liking and then set them aside.
- While the meat mixture and zucchini are cooking, cook the rice according to the directions on the package and then set it aside.
- Serve altogether.
- (Optional) Sprinkle shredded mozzarella cheese on top.
Source: Tina’s Chic Corner
