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Sweet Chili & Bacon Zucchini Boats
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Thai Zucchini Boats

Don't be stuck eating boring old Zucchini Meatloaf! Here's a fresh tasty way to eat zucchini boats, inspired by the flavours of Thailand. Thai Zucchini Boats with Ground Beef
Course Dinner
Cuisine Thai Fusion
Keyword thai zucchini boats, zucchini boat recipe, zucchini boats with ground beef
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 very large zucchini

Frying Vegetables for Thai Beef Mixture

  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1 onion chopped
  • 1 red chilli de-seeded and sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • small knob of ginger finely chopped
  • 1 carrot grated
  • 1 small red pepper finely diced

Thai Beef Mixture

  • 2 oz /50g Bean Vermicelli Bean Thread Noodles
  • 1 lb /500g lean ground beef
  • 2 bunches cilantro chopped
  • small bunch Thai basil chopped
  • 1 lime zested and squeezed for juice
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tablespoons fish sauce
  • 1 tablespoons light soy sauce
  • ⅓ cup Thai Sweet Chilli Sauce for beef mixture

Thai Bacon Wrap

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375°F/190°C
  • Heat the oil in a large frying pan or wok. Fry the onion, chillies, garlic and ginger until translucent and lightly cooked.
  • Add the grated carrot and red peppers and quickly fry together for about 3-4 minutes until they soften. Remove mixture from heat and allow to cool.
  • In a bowl, prepare bean vermicelli in hot water according to instructions. Snip with scissors into pieces. Drain and set aside.
  • Prepare the giant zucchini. Slice in half lengthways. Using a spoon or melon baller, scoop out the insides, leaving space about ½ inch from the edge, creating a boat. You can chop up the zucchini flesh and set aside to mix in with the beef mixture. (optional)
  • In a bowl, mix together ground beef, fried onion mixture, optional zucchini pieces, egg, lime juice and zest, cilantro, basil, fish sauce, soy sauce, Thai Sweet Chilli Sauce and bean vermicelli.
  • Stuff the zucchini boats with the meat mixture and pack down together tightly. The meat mixture should be stuffed higher than the outside of the zucchini, creating a raised effect.
  • Layer strips of bacon across the top of the zucchini boat, and baste generously with Thai sweet chilli sauce.
  • Place on a baking tray and cover with foil and place into the oven for 50 minutes. At the 40 minute mark, check with a fork that zucchini is tender and soft, but not soggy, and that the middle of the meat is no longer pink. Using a thermometer, it should be at least 160°F/70°C If it's still hard or pink, baste and return to oven again for 10 minutes an check again and repeat if necessary until its cooked. The bacon only needs 10 minutes to crisp up or it will burn, so only remove the foil when the zucchini is cooked, remember, for the last 10 minutes only!