Zucchini Beef & Pasta

I really have no idea what to call this since it basically was a last minute, thrown together meal that turned out yummy. So...Zucchini Beef & Pasta it is. :D

It all started with this blog that a friend sent my way. Some of the recipes sounded so different, so yummy and even affordable that I just couldn't pass it by.


A post in the archives caught my eye called "Stuffed Zucchini."


It sounded different. And we're on a huge zucchini kick right now, so it sounds yummy enough. I figured I would give it a try.


For some reason though I read the post's intro and somehow thought it was a zucchini bake. Idk, what I was thinking or reading. Who knows. I'm tired and barely surviving the days. 


So I had in mind that I would just bake it. With a few adjustments.


Then five o'clock on Friday night rolled around and I had a hungry husband and a screaming toddler asking for noodles. I had to act fast.


So here's I ended up doing:
(Please keep in mind that sometimes I go along as I cook and didn't measure much)


Zucchini Beef & Pasta


Ingredients:
3 medium sized zucchini
1 lb. ground meat
Italian Seasonings
3/4 small onion, chopped
garlic, chopped
2 small tomatoes, chopped
oregano to taste
salt and pepper to taste
1 can (15oz) Italian stewed tomatoes
sherry
egg noodles


Directions:
I put about a tbsp of extra virgin olive oil in the wok and a threw some garlic in. While the garlic was sauteing, I chopped up an onion and threw in about 3/4 of it and let it sweat while I washed the zucchini and chopped it up. After the garlic and onion had cooked for a few minutes and were starting to make my kitchen smell heavenly, I threw in the ground beef, added some Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt & pepper to taste and browned it. It was beginning to smell yummy.


I decided to not drain the meat (there was hardly any fat to drain) and instead, threw in the chopped up zucchini, tomatoes and stewed tomatoes. It was looking yummy but something was missing. I had originally planned on serving the dish over rice but at this point began wondering if noodles might work as well. Then I remembered this dish, that was served on noodles and tasted heavenly with wine as an ingredient. So I brought down my cooking sherry and decided a tbsp or two couldn't hurt. Only problem was, I had already had a glass or two of sangria, and a tbsp or two became almost 1/2 cup. Oops.


But it turned out delish. I added some more salt, pepper, Italian seasoning and oregano to taste. Cooked up some egg noodles al dente, drained and threw them in. And voila! Dinner was ready in less than a 1/2 hour.


I wasn't sure how the final outcome was gonna be but I always feel good when the first words out of M's mouth after the first bite are "MMM baby, this is good!" We ended up eating the entire pot full and raving about how yummy it ended up being. 


I wish I took pictures of it. But I was crunched for time. I'll definitely make this again. And when I figured out the price. Probably less than $10 for the meal. That's my kinda budget! ;)