Stuffed Courgettes

Sticking with the childhood food theme, I had wanted to make my own version of the stuffed marrows my mum makes but  I couldn't find any so used courgettes instead and loved the results. I found this a slightly lighter, more summer appropriate take on the classic. Mince or chopped meat could easily be added but I kept this fresh and simple with lots of veggies. This recipe makes roughly two portions as the main part of a meal but would also make a lovely accompaniment. Topped with buttery mashed potato and cheese, these feel indulgent but are relatively healthy.

Ingredients:
2 large courgettes
1 medium aubergine
1 box chestnut mushrooms (roughly 20)
1 large onion
4 cloves garlic
1 box cherry tomatoes (roughly 30)
1 bell pepper
olive oil
salt and pepper
20 small potatoes
butter of your choice
cheese of your choice

Method:
Preheat your oven to 160c. Chop each courgette lengthways and scoop out the middle using a spoon, leaving about a 1cm border all around to create a bowl. Place cut side down on a baking sheet and pop in the oven for roughly 20 mins until softened but not caramelised.

While the courgettes are in the oven, roughly chop the potatoes and pop on to boil. Put about 2 tbsp of olive oil into a frying pan over a medium heat, dice the onion and mince the garlic and saute until translucent. Dice the insides of the courgettes along with the aubergine and add to the pan. Once these are soft, add in diced mushrooms, tomatoes and pepper and cook gently until the tomatoes have soften and created a sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Once the potatoes are soft, drain and add a good dollop of butter before mashing with a pinch of salt and pepper. Remove the courgettes from the oven and stuff with the vegetable mix before topping generously with the mashed potato, sprinkle with cheese, I used Tesco's pre-grated free from parmesan, and place back in the oven for 10-15 minutes until the cheese starts to melt.

Sprinkle with black pepper and serve. Enjoy!

When you make this, please take a pic and tag me using #diaryofadefectivehousewife. I love seeing your creations.