Pesto Stuffed Zucchini

Ingredients

• 2 cups day old bread cubed
• 1 tablespoon butter 
• 2 tablespoons pinenuts 
• 2 pounds very zucchini 
• 0.3 cup basil pesto prepared
• 0.3 cup parmesan cheese grated
• 4 ounces mozzarella cheese fresh cut into cubes
• 1 handful cherry tomatoes roughly chopped
• 4 servings salt 

Equipment

• bowl
• frying pan
• oven
• roasting pan

Directions

1. Toast croutons: In a medium skillet, melt butter on medium to medium high heat.
2. Add the slightly dry cubed bread, toss to coat at least some of the sides in a little butter.
3. Lay out in a single layer cook, without moving the croutons, until one side is lightly browned, then toss and let cook a little more so a few more sides get a little brown.
4. Remove from pan and let cool to touch.
5. Toast pine nuts: While the croutons are browning, heat a small skillet on high.
6. Add the pine nuts and cook until they begin to brown (do not walk away, once they start browning they can easily go from brown to burnt!).
7. When they start to brown, remove them from the pan into a small bowl.
8. Combine croutons, Mozzarella, pesto, Parmesan, tomatoes, pine nuts:
9. Place the croutons and Mozzarella in a medium bowl. Toss with the pesto.
10. Add the grated Parmesan, chopped cherry tomatoes, toasted pine nuts, and toss some more.
11. Stuff the zucchini boats:
12. Heat the oven to 375°F.
13. Cut the zucchini in half lengthwise. Scoop out the inner flesh with a metal spoon, leaving 1/4 to a 1/2-inch thickness in the zucchini boats.**
14. Place the zucchini boats in a roasting pan.
15. Sprinkle the inside of the boats with salt. Fill the boats with the stuffing mixture.
16. Pour a cup or so of water into the bottom of the roasting pan (so that zucchini doesn't dry out on the outside), to about 1/4 inch depth.
17. Bake for 45 minutes at 375°F.
18. **In this recipe we are not using the zucchini flesh that we have scooped out. You can easily freeze it for later use with zucchini recipes such as zucchini bread, zucchini muffins, or zucchini cake. Or you can chop some of it up and mix it in with the stuffing mixture.