Low Carb Greek Herby Beef Stuffed zucchinis with a Creamy Lemon Sauce
Beef up summer vegetables with a hearty mix of lemon zest and herbs. This rustic Greek dish is perfect for summer nights or equally enjoyed as a winter comfort. Lemon adds acidity to give this low carb dish a lift, and all the herbs make it deliciously light and fragrant. Simple ingredients with maximum taste. This dish is a little hands-on but certainly not difficult and can be prepared the day before serving.
How to Make It
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 350F/180C. Cut the ends off the zucchinis and carefully core them with a vegetable/apple corer or sharp paring knife. Set the flesh aside in a large bowl as this will be used later in the stuffing.
Step 2
Mince the garlic and grate the zest from 1 unwaxed lemon. Finely chop the dill, mint and parsley. In a large bowl, add the ground beef, olive oil, egg, dill, mint, parsley, sea salt and a good grind black pepper. Use your hands to thoroughly combine.
Step 3
Roughly chop the zucchini flesh. Add this to the ground beef mixture. Again use your hands to gather all the ingredients together.
Step 4
Stuff each zucchini fully with the mince mixture. You can cut each zucchini in half before stuffing or after stuffing, whichever way is easiest for you. Place in an oven tray or ovenproof casserole. Any leftover mince can be used to stuff more zucchinis or other vegetables like bell peppers. You could also form any leftover mixture into patties and pan fry them, or roll into meatball size and cook with the zucchinis around the side of the tray.
Step 5
Drizzle olive oil over the top and pour the hot water at the base of the oven dish. Cover with the lid or aluminum foil and cook in the oven (or over the stove if using a Dutch oven) for 35 minutes until the zucchinis are tender. It is important the zucchinis have enough water to ‘poach’, if there isn’t enough water, the skins may dry and become tough. Covering the dish will also help create steam which will keep the zucchinis moist.
Step 6
To make the sauce, juice 2 lemons and set them aside. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the cream cheese and lemon juice to the saucepan, and use a whisk to thoroughly combine into a smooth cream.
Step 7
Once the zucchinis have been poached, carefully remove 1.5 cups of this juice and add to the cream cheese mixture. Separate the eggs (and set the egg whites aside for another dish). Drop in the egg yolks to the cream mixture and whisk the sauce vigorously so they do not curdle. Add the guar gum to a small bowl and dilute with 3 tablespoons cold water to form a smooth paste. If it’s too thick add more water. Add the guar gum paste to the cream sauce and keep whisking until the sauce thickens to desired consistency, about 10-15 minutes. Plate up and serve!
Ingredients
- Zucchini, raw
6 medium
- Hamburger or ground beef, 90% lean
14 oz
- Garlic
1 clove
- Extra virgin olive oil
3 tbsp
- Lemon Peel Or Zest Raw
1.5 tbsp
- Raw egg
1 large
- Dill weed, fresh
3 tbsp
- Spearmint, fresh
3 tbsp
- Parsley Fresh Or Raw Herb
3 tbsp
- Salt, sea salt
0.5 tsp
- Black pepper
0.13 tsp
- Boiling water
3 cup
- Unsalted butter
3 tbsp
- Organic Soft Cream Cheese (Full-Fat)
7 oz
- Lemon, fresh
2 small – 1 7/8″ diameter
- Raw egg, yolk
2 large
- Dietary Fiber Guar Gum
1 tsp