Buttery Zucchini with Beef

For simple week night dinners, one pot meals like this can be a life saver.

I love the texture of minced beef when it’s been well cooked and crispy on the edges. Melting, buttery zucchini makes a wonderful contrast.

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Buttery Zucchini with Beef

Total Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 2 people

Ingredients

• 450 g ground (minced) beef
• 4 medium zucchini (courgette) sliced into thin rounds
• 1-2 teaspoons dried chilli optional
• 1 lemon

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

• Heat a few tablespoons olive oil in a large frying pan.
• Cook beef over medium high heat, stirring for a minute or so.
• Add zucchini and continue to cook stirring every now and then.
• When the meat is well browned and the zucchini is soft and buttery remove from the heat.
• Squeeze over 2-3 tablespoons lemon juice. Taste and season generously with salt & pepper. Serve hot.

Variations

different meat – any minced (ground) meat is good here. Try chicken, pork, turkey, buffalo or even kangaroo!

vegan / vegetarian – replace the beef with crumbled tofu, lentils or setian. And add in a little ground cumin or coriander for extra flavour.

herby – add a little freshness with a handful of basil with mint or parsley.

more substantial – toss in a drained can of legumes or some cooked pasta or noodles. Or serve on a bed of either mashed potato, cauliflower puree or steamed rice.

more veg – soften an onion first. Serve with a green salad.

Waste Avoidance Strategy

beef – freeze.

zucchini – will keep for a few weeks in a plastic bag in the fridge. To keep for longer slice and cook in a little oil or butter and keep in a covered container.

dried chilli – pantry.

lemon – keeps in a plastic bag in the fridge for months.

Problem Solving Guide

too dry – this is much nicer when you use a fattier grade of minced beef. For now, be generous with the lemon juice and maybe serve with a few tablespoons of butter or mayonnaise to moisten.

bland – good quality beef tends to have better flavour so next time try getting your beef from a good butcher. For now you can increase your salt, chilli and or the lemon juice. Or reach for the hot sauce!

crunchy zucchini – I find under cooked zucchini really unappealing.You can add it back to the heat to cook for a little longer. Next time try slicing the zucchini more finely.

Prepare Ahead

Yes! Just cook as per the recipe. Leftovers will keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or can be frozen. To serve, warm in a pan with a little oil. You might need a splash more lemon juice to freshen things up.