Stuffed Zucchini with Rigatoni, Pecorino and Pancetta

I didn’t grow up having a Sunday dinner, but now that I have a family of my own it’s definitely a tradition I’d love to start. Until now, I hadn’t found a recipe that seemed right for it. Something that takes time but not too crazy, and something that can get the family involved in the cooking process. Also something that felt unique and special. This one seems just right for a Sunday dinner, or definitely a great meal to serve to a hungry crowd.

I found these recipes on my usual hunt for inspiration, the Food52 youtube channel. It’s my go to for when I need some ideas for recipes. I definitely did some adapting, the first time I made it, I found the tomato sauce to be a little too thin and the meatballs were a little dry (maybe because I used beef instead of veal which is traditional). With some tweaking by adding some lemon zest to perk up the zucchini filling, and some water to add some moisture, the filling definitely holds its own. I also switched out the whole tomato’s to crushed and added some tomato paste, anchovy and a bay leaf for more flavor in the sauce. The pasta was great how it was, but I couldn’t find guanciale so I substituted pancetta. *If you can find guanciale, you will need 7 ounces cut into 1 1/2 inch x 1/2 inch strips.

Recipe adapted by: Tierney Larson, from Katie Parla @ Food52

Servings: 4-6

For the Zucchini:

6 medium sized zucchinis, ends trimmed, halved crosswise and cored using a vegetable peeler (save the cores in a small bowl)

Kosher Salt and Black Pepper

3/4 lb of ground beef (or veal)

1 egg

1/4 cup of fresh (or dry) breadcrumbs

1/8 cup of grated parmesan cheese

1 lemon, zest the whole lemon, (1/2 for the filling, and 1/2 for the pasta)

2 tsp of water

1 tbl olive oil

2 garlic cloves minced (or grated)

1 tbl tomato paste

1 anchovy

1 bay leaf

1-28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes

For the Pasta:

1 lb of Rigatoni (or any tubular) pasta

kosher salt and black pepper

4 ounces of pancetta diced into 3/4 inch cubes

Cores from 6 zucchini (any large pieces roughly chopped)

1 cup of pecorino romano grated

1/2 a lemon zested (listed above)

Ok so…start your zucchini. Season the inside of the zucchini with kosher salt. In a medium sized bowl, mix the egg, bread crumbs, parmesan, lemon zest, 1 tsp of kosher salt, and a good grind of black pepper together, then add the beef and using your hands, mix together being sure not to over mix (to avoid it being tough). Add the 2 teaspoons of water and mix again until combined. Stuff the zucchini with the meat mixture and set aside.

Heat a large sauté pan over medium-low heat and add 1 tbl of olive oil. When the oil shimmers add the garlic, anchovy, tomato paste, a pinch of salt and pepper and the bay leaf. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, the tomato paste is turning brick red and the anchovy has melted into the oil, about 2 minutes.

Add the crushed tomato’s and stir to combine, then add the zucchini’s and bring to a boil. Lower to a simmer and cover (checking now and then to make sure it doesn’t start boiling) for 35-40 minutes, flipping the zucchini half way through. When done the zucchini should be tender but not mushy.

When the zucchini is about half way done, bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Add rigatoni and cook until al dente (usually about 2 min before the package says it will be done). When done, save about 2 cups of the pasta water, drain the pasta and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat 1 tsp of olive oil over medium heat in a large saucepan (large enough to toss the pasta in when it’s done). When the oil is shimmering, add the pancetta and cook stirring occasionally until it’s golden brown.

Next add the zucchini cores and a pinch of kosher salt, cook for a few minutes until zucchini is tender. Add a ladle full of pasta water and bring to a simmer. Then add the pasta and another ladle full of water and cook over medium high heat stirring vigorously until the pasta has a nice coating of sauce all over it. Remove from the heat and stir in 3/4 cup of pecorino and lemon zest and stir to combine.

Serve alongside the stuffed zucchini and top with remaining pecorino.