BEEF AND BULGUR- STUFFED COURGETTES

INGREDIENTS

• 6 medium courgettes weighing 225g each
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small chopped onion
• 225g lean beef mince
• 2 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 (410g) tinned no salt added diced tomatoes, strained and juice reserved
• 250 ml cooked bulgur and 70g uncooked
• 3 tablespoon dried currants
• 3 tablespoon pine nuts, toasted in a dry skillet over a medium high flame for 2 minutes
• 5g chopped parsley leaves
• 125 ml low sodium tomato sauce
• ½ teaspoon salt

 
DIRECTION

•  Preheat the oven to 190C/Gas 5. 
• Cut each courgette in half crosswise.
• Using a melon baller, carefully scoop out courgette's flesh, leaving about 0.5cm flesh intact on all sides and leaving courgettes closed at the bottom of each half.
• Reserve courgette flesh for another use, or discard.
• Reserve courgette tubes. Heat oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat.
• Add onions and cook, stirring, until they are soft and translucent, about 3 minutes.
• Add garlic and cook for 2 minutes more.
• Add mince, cumin, coriander and red pepper flakes and cook until meat is just done and no longer pink, 4 to 5 minutes.
• Add bulgur, and diced tomatoes and currants and cook an additional 2 to 3 minutes.
• Remove from heat and stir in pine nuts and parsley.
• Let mixture cool slightly, about 5 minutes.
• Using a small spoon or clean hands, gently stuff courgette halves with beef-mixture.
• Place courgette halves in a 23- by 30-cm glass baking dish.
• Combine reserved tomato juice, tomato sauce and salt and pour over courgettes.
• Cover tightly with foil and place in oven. Bake for 20 minutes.
• Remove from oven, uncover and rotate courgettes.
• Re-cover, return dish to oven and bake an additional 20 to 25 minutes, until courgettes are cooked through but still slightly firm.
• Place 2 courgette halves on a plate and serve with tomato sauce. 
• 1 serving is 2 courgettes halves and 3 tablespoons tomato sauce.