Stuffed zucchini with ground meat, rice, and a spicy sauce made with pindre.

Name: Stuffed zucchini with ground meat, rice, and a spicy sauce made with pindre.
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Bulgarian
Ingredients: 4 pcs zucchini; 450 gr ground meat (pork and beef mix); 90 gr rice; 1 pcs onion; 3 pcs garlic; 180 gr tomato paste; 1 tbsp white wheat flour; 2 tbsp olive oil or vegetable oil; 300 ml hot water or vegetable broth; 1 tsp salt; 0.5 tsp ground black pepper; 1 tsp paprika

🌍 Bulgarian
⏰ 70 min
👥 4
🔥 427 kcal

Ingredients

zucchini4 pcs

ground meat (pork and beef mix)450 gr

rice90 gr

onion1 pcs

garlic3 pcs

tomato paste180 gr

white wheat flour1 tbsp

olive oil or vegetable oil2 tbsp

hot water or vegetable broth300 ml

salt1 tsp

ground black pepper0.5 tsp

paprika1 tsp

Method

Preheat the oven to 190°C with a fan. Wash the zucchinis, cut off the ends, and slice them crosswise in half or into cylinders. Using a spoon or a corer, remove the insides, leaving walls about 5-7 mm thick. Finely chop half of the scooped-out core.
In a deep skillet, heat 1 tbsp of fat over medium-high heat. Sauté the finely chopped onion for 3-4 minutes until softened, then add the pressed garlic and the chopped zucchini core for another 2 minutes.
Add the ground meat and sauté, breaking it up into fine pieces, until it changes color and caramelizes slightly. Add the rice and red pepper, stirring vigorously for 1 minute until the rice becomes translucent.
Add 60 g of tomato pindjour, season with 0.5 tsp salt, add black pepper, and 100 ml of hot water. Cook over low heat for 5 minutes until the rice absorbs the liquid and swells partially.
Fill the prepared zucchinis with the meat and rice filling and arrange them tightly in a ceramic or Pyrex baking dish.
In a bowl, whisk the flour with the remaining 120 g of tomato pindjour, 1 tbsp of fat, a pinch of salt, and 200 ml of hot water until a smooth emulsion forms. Pour the resulting sauce evenly around the zucchinis at the bottom of the dish.
Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 10-15 minutes until the zucchinis are fully tender and the sauce reduces and thickens to a silky texture.