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Grey zucchini stuffed with meat and béchamel sauce

Grey zucchini stuffed with meat and béchamel sauce

This recipe originally appeared in the Oct/Nov 2007 issue of Gourmet Traveller WINE.

Wine to try
2005 Tinja Sangiovese Merlot Barbera, Mudgee, A$18
Serve this meal with a classy, medium-weight, savoury dry red such as the Lowe Family Wine Company’s affordable Tinja sangiovese blend. The earthy wild raspberry fruit flavours of sangiovese forms the wine’s spine, merlot contributes juicy fruit sweetness and barbera offers bright cherry fruit and fresh acidity. The background oak gives a dusty, aniseed complexity. This delicious gentle red happily meets the richness of the béchamel, equals the intensity of the meat and has sufficient freshness to match that of the zucchini casing. Comfort food and wine at its best.

Grey zucchini stuffed with meat and béchamel sauce

Serves 6
Zucchini
6 (about 1.5kg)   grey zucchini
½ cup (45g)   grated parmesan
1½ tbsp (20g)   coarse breadcrumbs
Meat sauce
½ cup   extra-virgin olive oil
2   brown onions – finely chopped
3   garlic cloves – finely chopped
1 tsp   dried oregano
750g   beef mince
1 cup   red wine
1 400g tin   chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp   tomato paste
3   bay leaves
1 tbsp   flat-leaf parsley – finely chopped
Béchamel sauce
500ml   milk
2   bay leaves
½ tsp   allspice berries
60g   butter
1 tbsp   extra-virgin olive oil
60g   plain flour
65g   grated parmesan
½ tsp   nutmeg


1 Slice zucchini lengthways. Carefully hollow out their centres with a teaspoon or melon scoop, discarding the flesh.
2 For meat sauce, heat half the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat, add onions, garlic, oregano and sauté for about 5 minutes or until softened. Transfer to a bowl. Add remaining oil and sauté the beef, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes or until the meat has browned. Add wine, tomatoes, tomato paste, bay leaves, parsley and cook for another 5 minutes. Return the onion mixture to the saucepan, season generously with sea salt and ground black pepper, stir the mixture well and add enough water to just cover the mixture. Simmer the sauce for 50-60 minutes or until the sauce has thickened.
3 For béchamel sauce, heat the milk, bay leaves and allspice in a saucepan over low heat. Melt the butter and olive oil in another saucepan over medium heat, then add the flour and stir continuously with a wooden spoon for about 5 minutes until combined. Slowly add hot milk, discarding bay leaves and allspice, into the flour mixture, whisking until the sauce thickens or for about 5 minutes. Remove pan from the heat and, when slightly cooled, stir in parmesan and nutmeg.
4 Fill each zucchini with meat sauce and spoon béchamel over the top. Place the zucchini on a lightly oiled baking tray and pour a little water around them. Mix the parmesan and breadcrumbs in a bowl, then sprinkle over the zucchini. Bake in a preheated oven at 200C for about 40 minutes or until golden on top. Allow to cool slightly before serving.


RECIPE Andy Harris PHOTOGRAPHY William Meppem STYLING Andy Harris and Sabine Schmitz DRINK SUGGESTION Peter Bourne

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