Courgette Boats Stuffed with Minced Meat, Bechamel and Mozzarella

This recipe would make any courgette hater drool! R. does not like courgettes at all but he happily devours these little boats!

It takes one hour to prepare this meal, so do not be deterred by its sophisticated looks ;)

To make a meal for two, you need:

– 500g courgettes

– 1 Tbsp olive oil

– 150g minced meat

– 1 small onion, finely chopped

– 1 garlic clove, finely minced

– A handful of pine nuts

– Salt and all spice

– 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

For the bechamel sauce:

– 2 cups of hot milk, almost boiling

– 4 Tbsp butter

– 3 Tbsp flour

– Salt

Method:

Preheat the oven to 350F.

1. Cut off the tips and ends of the courgettes and then clean them well.

2. Cut the courgettes in half longitudinally and scrape off the insides of the two halves of each courgette. The courgettes will look like little boats. Brush each half (both sides) with olive oil and place on a cooking tray in the oven for 20 minutes. Turn the courgettes face down after 10 minutes to make sure both sides are grilled.

3. While the courgettes are cooking in the oven, fry the onions and garlic in olive oil and then add the meat and pine nuts and cook well. Season with salt and all spice.

4. To cook the bechamel sauce, melt the butter in a deep saucepan over medium heat. When the butter melts, one spoon at a time, add the flour and whisk fast and well. When all the flour has been whisked with the butter and you have a thick yellow cream, add the hot milk (add salt to it), gradually, and keep whisking all the time until you have the bechamel sauce with the desired thickness.

5. When the courgette boats are ready, take them out of the oven and fill each one with the cooked minced meat.

6. Top each boat with a tablespoon of bechamel sauce and a tablespoon of shredded mozzarella cheese.

7. Place the tray back in the oven for 10 minutes, enough time for the cheese to melt. For a golden effect (like in the photo below), broil the top for a few minutes. And voila, the best stuffed courgettes you will ever have! Ask R. :)