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Recipe Tags: Lactose Time To Make Course Main Ingredient Cuisine Preparation Occasion North American For 1 Or 2 Main Dish Side Dishes Rice Vegetables American Easy European Beginner Cook Spring Summer Vegan Vegetarian Crock Pot Slow Cooker Dietary One Dish Meal Seasonal Comfort Food Inexpensive Egg Free Free Of Something Pasta Rice And Grains Brown Rice Peppers Squash Taste Mood Savory Equipment Number Of Servings Presentation Served Hot

Italian Style Stuffed Zucchini Squash Crock Pot

I love summer squash with tomato sauce and italian herbs, and this healthy vegetarian/vegan dish is so simple to prepare, very filling and delicious. It comes from vegetarian.about.com, and i didn't change too much about it. Originally it called for fresh herbs, but i really don't like using fresh herbs in the crock pot, so i used dried instead, and then just threw a few fresh leaves on top before serving. The toasted pine nuts add a lot to this - i don't recommend omitting them. I was worried about the squash falling apart since i had to leave it in the crock pot well past the suggested cooking time - 9 hours - so i wrapped the zucchini halves in foil before putting them in. It worked great - the squash was very soft, but still together, and the rice was not overcooked at all. The original recipe says it serves four, but i think as a main course it is perfect for two. Putting a little dairy or soy mozzarella or parmesan on top before serving is nice. This just needs a green salad and

Steps

To toast pine nuts , place them in a small nonstick skillet over medium heat , stirring occasionally until golden or about 5 minutes.
Place the zucchini halves in the bottom of an oval shaped slow cooker.
In a small bowl or measuring cup , combine the tomato sauce and vinegar.
In another small bowl , combine the onions , garlic , rice , parsley , basil , pepper , along with 2 tablespoons of the tomato sauce-vinegar mixture.
Fill the zucchini halves with the rice mixture.
Top with the remaining tomato sauce-vinegar mixture.
Cover and cook on low until the rice is tender , 4 to 6 hours.
Garnish with the pine nuts , fresh herbs , and cheese.
Makes 2 main dish servings or 4 side dish servings.

Ingredients

zucchini, tomato sauce, red wine vinegar, onion, garlic, brown rice, dried parsley, dried basil, black pepper, pine nuts, fresh parsley, fresh basil, mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese