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stuffed

Veal Stuffed Zucchini Cannelloni

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This dish basically is a lighter twist on stuffed cannelloni – just without the cannelloni. When I was in the kitchen creating this dish, I actually did not mean to recreate cannelloni or put a lighter twist in them. I just let myself experiment. After finishing cooking, when I ate this dish I realized that it actually looked like the typically Italian pasta. It tasted sooo good. Just all the flavors and textures worked really well together. The crunch of the zucchini, the texture of the ground meat, the softness of the melted cheese, and the intense flavor of the tomato sauce. 

It is a little work, to make this dish, so it is not the perfect dish to have as a quick dinner, but it is if you have some more time and want to cook it together with someone else on a date night or a family dinner. I really, really like this dish because it is family friendly, still sneaks in some vegetables and kind of is a lighter twist on a baked pasta dish.

I decided to use minced veal as a meat simply because I really like the flavor and it is pretty lean. If you prefer to use beef, turkey, pig, or even a vegetarian mince that would work too. I just think that the veal doesn’t overpower the other ingredients but still brings a nice flavor and texture. Also, it makes the dish a little bit more Italian because in Italy, veal is used very often. When frying it in the pan, don’t leave it in there for too long since it shouldn’t be completely cooked through as it would get dry in the oven. Also if you do not have an oven safe pan, you can use any other oven safe dish to bake the “cannelloni” in.

The Ricotta that is in the filling along with the meat gives this entire dish such a delicious richness and hearty flavor, which I realllllyyy like. Of course, you can use cream cheese or curd cheese instead but it won’t be the same. Ricotta just has this little something and this instant-Italian twist on every dish you use it in, so I would not substitute it with anything else. All the herbs that are packed into the Ricotta just give it a freshness and make it real good. Never skip the herbs & spices!

When baking the zucchini in the oven, the sauce will get more liquid since the zucchini will loose water. I personally like it because you can pour some more onto your plate but if you prefer to having it thick you can blanch the zucchini strips in simmering water for a few minutes and dry them with a paper towel. This is quite a lot of work because there are a lot of them, so I leave this step out and go for the thinner sauce. Especially when there is not too much time then I’d recommend not doing this extra step.

All in all, this is a pretty simple Italian inspired dish. It is a little bit of work but really fun to make and such a great way to lighten up stuffed cannelloni. I know that some Italians would come and beat me up now if I keep calling this “cannelloni” but it is really good. A dinner that all of your family is going to love!! If you do make it, be sure to share it with me on Instagram and tag me with @uneptcuisiniere or #unepetitecuisiniere. I’d love to see it! 

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Veal Stuffed Zucchini Cannelloni

A delicious lighter twist on the traditional italian classic. Made with ground veal and herbed ricotta, which is all packed into nourishing Zucchini and topped with fresh tomato sauce and molten cheese. Just good.

Course dinner, lunch, Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Prep Time 30 Minuten
Cook Time 20 Minuten
Total Time 50 Minuten
Servings 4 people
Calories 370 kcal

What you will need

  • 2 Zucchini
  • 1.5 tbsp Olive Oil
  • 1 White Onion
  • 2 Cloves Garlic
  • 400 g Ground Veal can substitute for any other meat
  • 200 g Ricotta
  • 1 Egg Yolk
  • 1 tbsp Minced Basil
  • 1 tbsp Minced Sage
  • 1 tbsp Minced Oregano
  • 400 ml Tomatoe Sauce
  • 50 g Parmesan Cheese Do not use pre-grated ones if possible since the quality is alway lower
  • 50 g Mozarella Cheese Buffalo is best

How to

That´s how it works:

  1. Preheat the oven to 180C. With a peeler, peel of strips of the Zucchini that are about 1-2mm thick. In a pan heat up the olive oil. Meanwhile finely mince the onion and garlic. Once hot add them to the oil and cook them for about 1 minute. Add the meat and generously salt and pepper. Cook for about 5-8 minutes, it does not have to be completely cooked through. 

  2. In a bowl mix the Ricotta with the egg yolk, the fresh herbs, salt, and pepper. On a flat surface lay out about three to four Zucchini strips* at a time, depending on how big they are, slightly overlaping. 

  3. Grate the parmesan cheese and chop of the mozarella into about 1.5 cm large pieces. 

  4. At the lower end of them spread one tablespoon of the Ricotta mixture and 1 tablespoon of the minced veal on top. Carefully roll them up and place them aside. Continue until there is no Zucchini and Meat left. 

  5. In an oven-safe dish or pan spread half of the tomato sauce. Carefully place the Cannelloni horizonatlly in it. Top them with the rest of the tomato sauce and the different cheeses.

  6. Bake in the oven for about 12 minutes, so the cheese has all molten and the Zucchini is cooked through. Serve with some fresh basil and enjoy!

Notes

*if you want the dish to be less watery, blanch the Zucchini strips in simmering water for about 1 minute here. Then transfer them into an ice bath and pat them dry. Continue to follow along the recipe. 

I do not think that this step is necessary because I like it to be saucy but this depends on your preference.

Fall Tabbouleh Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

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Who doesn´t love a stuffed potato. Maybe with some sour cream and beef, or with roasted vegetables and guac or whichever combination you like. Roasted potatoes with some sort of stuffing is just such a comforting and easy meal. I love it on weeknights because everyone can pick their one fillings and it is just a family meal. Because they are so versatile I like to add a twist in them whenever I make them. Sometimes I make them a little more American with loads of cheese, sometimes Mexican with salsa and avocado, sometimes a mix.

This time I decided to not only switch up the filing a little but also go for sweet potatoes instead of normal potatoes. I honestly love sweet potatoes and I don’t know why I hadn’t thought of this before. The crispy skin and the soft inside is just so good combined with the spices. In order to really get those spices into the potato, you have to use oil when baking it. Without oil, it won´t ever get that deep flavor and that crispiness. I use a spice mix that consists of most people´s pantry staples. It just intensifies the sweetness of the potatoes but gives them an extra kick. 

I wondered what filling would go well with sweet potatoes and a thousand ideas crossed my mind until it came to me to just combine two of my favorite dishes. Stuffed potatoes & tabbouleh! If I wouldn’t had created that myself I would have called it genius. It literally tastes so amazing. It’s going to be your new favorite. Easy weeknight and easy to prep, perfect meal prep dish, ideal for weekends when the family and friends are coming together, just perfect for any occasion.

That warm and soft sweet potato and the freshness of the tabbouleh just go so well together. Paired with the super delicious Tahini Sauce it is just so good! Since tabbouleh is a pretty summery dish I think I added a fall twist to it. Some small chopped up apples, raisins, nuts, and some Swiss chard. I tossed it together with the Couscous and dressed with simply Olive Oil and lemon juice. It helps bring out the flavor but doesn’t overpower them. The different fruits and veggies add such a variety in flavor, a great crunch, and so much color. It feels like eating the rainbow with this salad. 

The real addiction in this dish is the Tahini Sauce. So Good. Really simple ingredients, Tahini, lemon juice, mustard, water, vinegar, and oil. It just has such an amazing flavor and because of the Tahini it makes the dish a little more oriental. The lemon gives a great contrast to the hearty ness of the sweet potato and paired with the guac (which technically is optional, but actually not) you won’t go back to sour cream. The drizzle on top is so satisfying and damn good.

This entire combination of warm sweet potato, crunchy tabbouleh, creamy guac and refreshing Tahini dressing is bomb. It is not complicated to make which will make it your new favorite dish. So easy to meal prep and prepare in general as you can roast some sweet potatoes in the weekend and make some of that good tabbouleh and just take it whenever you need. If you do make it be sure to tag me on Instagram with @uneptcuisiniere or with #unepetitecuisiniere and leave a rating. I honestly really really like this dish and I hope that you will like it too!

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Fall Tabbouleh Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

Super comfortable and healthy fall dinner

Course dinner, Main Course
Prep Time 30 Minuten
Cook Time 50 Minuten
Total Time 50 Minuten
Servings 2 people
Calories 650 kcal

What you will need

For the Sweet Potatoes:

  • 1 large Sweet Potato about 500-600g
  • 1 tbsp Olive Oil
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 1/2 tsp Pepper
  • 1 tsp Cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp Paprika Powder
  • 1/2 tsp Chili Powder
  • 1/2 tsp Curcuma Powder

For the Tabbouleh

  • 70 g Couscous
  • 3 stalks Swiss chard
  • 1/2 Apple
  • 100 g Tomatoes
  • 1 small Red Onion
  • 1/3 Cucumber
  • 1/2 Yellow Bell Pepper
  • 1 tbsp Chopped Parsley
  • 1/2 tbsp Olive Oil
  • 1.5 tbsp Lemon Juice
  • Salt & Pepper

For the Tahini Sauce

  • 1 tsp Tahini
  • 1 tsp Dijon Mustard
  • 1 tsp Maple Syrup
  • 1-2 tbsp Almond Milk can substitute for water
  • 1 tbsp Water
  • 1.5 tbsp Lemon Juice

To finish it off:

  • 1 small Avocado
  • 1 stalk Spring Onions finely chopped

How to

Thats how it works:

  1. Preheat the oven to 180C. Cut the sweet potato in half. In a samll bowl mix all the spices together with the oil. Brush both sides of the cut sweet potatoes with the oil-spice mixture and place o a baking tray. Once the oven is heated up, place them in and bae for about 45-50 minutes.

For the Tabbouleh:

  1. Prepare the Couscous according to the package instructions. Chop the tomatoes, the bell pepper, the appla, the cucumber, and the swiss chard in cubes, a little smaller than 1cm. Finely mince the onion. In a large bowl add all of the vegetables, the couscous and the parsely. drizzle the lemon juice and olive oil on top and gently combine everything until is it well mixed through.

For the Tahini Sauce:

  1. Add all of the ingredients into a small bowl and mix or into a small blender and blend until you get a smooth and runny consistency. If you prefer to have it thinner, add more water or almond milk, if you want it thicker, add more Tahini.

To finish it off:

  1. Smash the avocado and generously salt and pepper it. Take the sweet potatoes out of the oven and place them on two plates. With a fork carefully smash the inside of the potatoes and take some of the smashed filling out so you have more space for the filling. Add the Tabbouleh into the muld you just created. Top with some of the mashed avocado and drizle with the Tahini sauce. Serve as it is or with a small side salad if you prefer. Enjoy!