Easy baked French round zucchini stuffed with ground meat (Courgette ronde farcie à la viande hachée). Deliciously filled with a savory blend of ground beef and pork, sweet peppers, and aromatic basil, this easy French dish is bursting with flavor. It’s kid-friendly, ideal for meal prep, and perfect for serving a crowd. Recipe includes tips for variations and make-ahead options.
Today we’re diving into stuffed round zucchini, filled with a mix of ground beef and pork, and baked to absolute perfection. I usually make this in the summer or early autumn when round zucchini are at their peak and popping up in every local market. Out of season, especially in spring or winter here in Eastern Europe, they’re pretty much impossible to track down—particularly in the smaller villages.
If you’re as fond of round zucchini as I am, don’t miss my super easy summer favorite: Mediterranean Grilled Round Zucchini—a light, flavor-packed recipe that’s just made for sunny days.
Behind the Bites
Round zucchini (or courgettes) are a variation of zucchini ( also known as summer squash). They are grown in various countries under different names (‘’Ronde de Nice’’ in France and ‘’ Tondo di Piacenza’’ in Italy). It is believed they have been selectively bred in the south of France, particularly around Nice, during the 18th to 19th centuries. With time, these round beauties began to emerge on markets outside France, and even Europe.
Ingredients & Substitutions
Zucchini (courgettes)
- Round zucchini hallowed and cut in half
- Olive oil, extra virgin
- Minced fresh dill – or dried works too
- Garlic, minced
- Pinch of salt to taste
Stuffing
- Minced meat (ground meat) – I use combination of beef and pork, or lean turkey ground meat
- Zucchini flesh – from hallowed zucchini finely chopped – nothing goes to waste
- Onion head, large
- Bell red pepper finely chopped
- Dill minced – fresh or dried
- Basil leaves, minced – fresh or dried
- All-purpose seasoning or salt & black pepper to taste (or Italian seasoning)
HOW TO COOK ROUND ZUCCHINI
1st: Wash zucchini, cut the tail off. Then cut in two equal halves. Gently remove the flesh and leave aside. Brush the inside of each half with the oil and seasoning mix and pop in the oven until almost cooked.
2nd: Prepare the filling by sautéing the ground meat, courgettes flesh and all other ingredients. Stuff the almost cooked zucchini rounds, then bake for additional 10-15 minutes. Serve immediately.
How to cut round zucchini?
There are so many ways to slice a round zucchini—it really just depends on what you’re making. For grilling, it couldn’t be simpler: chop off the stem and blossom ends, then slice into thick or thin rounds (the thinner they are, the crispier they’ll get on the grill—chef’s kiss).
For this stuffed zucchini recipe, though, we’re doing things a bit differently. Start by slicing off just the stem end. Then cut the zucchini in half—either lengthways or crossways, totally up to you—to create two little “cups.” Scoop out the inside (a spoon works perfectly here) and you’re ready to fill them up with all the good stuff.
Feeling a bit extra? You can keep the tops on and make adorable mini zucchini “bombs” (as my toddler charmingly calls them). Just slice off the top like a lid, hollow out the center, stuff as usual, then pop the top back on before baking. Cute and delicious.
RECIPE VARIATIONS:
- Herbs: No fresh (or frozen) dill or basil? No drama. Just sprinkle in a bit of Herbes de Provence—it adds that perfect little French countryside flair.
- Stuffing: Totally customizable. Feel free to toss in whatever vegetable you’ve got kicking around in the fridge—grated carrot, a bit of green pepper, even chopped tomato. This recipe plays well with leftovers.
- Oils: Olive oil is lovely, but if you’re out, don’t stress. Canola oil, avocado oil, or even a bit of butter will do the job just fine.
MEAL PREP – Ideas
What I love most about stuffed veggies? You can prep the filling way ahead of time. Just make your stuffing, pop it into an airtight container, and keep it in the fridge for up to 48 hours—or freeze it if you’re really planning ahead. When you’re ready to serve, simply fill your pre-baked, hollowed-out zucchini rounds and voilà—dinner on the table in minutes. Effortless and a little bit brilliant.
French Stuffed & Baked Round Zucchini
Ingredients
Zucchini (courgettes)
- 5 round zucchini hallowed and cut in half
- 2 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- 2 tbsp minced fresh dill heaping
- 1 clove garlic minced
- Pinch of salt to taste
Stuffing
- 500 g ground meat, beef/pork/chicken/etc.
- zucchini flesh from hallowed zucchini finely chopped
- 1 onion head large
- 1 bell red pepper finely chopped
- 1 tbsp dill minced
- 1 tbsp basil leaves minced fresh
- 1 tbsp all-purpose seasoning or salt & black pepper to taste
Instructions
Zucchini (Courgettes)
- Wash zucchini under cold water, cut out bottoms and cut in half. Then hollow out to approx.. ¼ inch flesh rim (the thinner, the better) – using knife or spoon. Set aside zucchini flesh for stuffing or alternatively cut in cubes and freeze for future use.
- In a small bowl combine olive oil, garlic, dill and salt and mix well. Then brush zucchini halves with the mix using cooking brush.
- Place zucchini on baking paper / non-stick surface and bake in preheated oven until almost cooked (200C/400F). Check regularly with fork. In the meantime move to prepare stuffing.
Stuffing
- In large stove pan / saucepot place olive oil and minced meat. Sauté until meat changes color while stirring frequently to prevent stacks (approx.5 min).
- Then add chopped zucchini flesh, onion, red bell pepper, dill, basil, seasoning and herbs and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat and let simmer until almost cooked (approx. 15 min). Add a little bit of water if needed to prevent burning.
- Once stuffing is cooked, fill in each zucchini round with it (heaping). If stuffing seems ‘’water-y’ – that’s even better – that way meal will not get dry when placed in the oven.
- Place stuffed zucchini in baking dish and bake until top stuffing gets crispy (approx. 10 min) on the oven on 200C/400F.
- Serve immediately or while still warm.
- OPTIONAL: Sprinkle with shredded grana Padano cheese while still hot/warm.
Nutrition
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Just made this tonight and by was it delicious. Thank you
You want the word hollowed not hallowed. Hallow means to honour as holy. I know, the English language is tricky 🤭. Looks like a yummy recipe.
Thank you! Corrected 🙂 It’s tricky indeed.
One of the most delicious recipes I’ve found on line. I’ve made it several times and everyone loves it. Thanks!
Thank you!
I am making this tonight, and i am adding cheese. Americans love their cheese! This sounds delicious. My neighbor calls these type of zuchinni, 8 ball zuchinni. I dont know if thats the correct name of them here in the States or not though.
Hope you liked it, never heard of that name for these zucchini, we call the round zucchini in Europe, as simple as that 🙂
I thought the technique was very good but the squash released too much water. Maybe it should be salted and drained before mixiing with the meat and other vegies. I am going to serve the leftovers over pasta.
Thank you for sharing, if the squash had too much water during the 1st bake, maybe you can drain it before adding the stuffing 🙂 I’ve never had this issue using French round zucchini in Europe, but it maybe depends on the variety.