Stuffed Zucchini with Tomato Sauce

This traditional Italian recipe has been adapted to be vegetarian. It's surprising hearty and easy to prepare. The sauce is delicious and can be made right in the baking dish; it reduces perfectly in the oven. The bread crumb filling has a lovely texture - crisp on the top and chewy inside. Serves 4 as a main.

Adapted from Gennaro Contaldo.

6 large zucchinis
3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, pressed
3 slices of stale bread, ideally whole wheat or grain
1 tsp. dried herbs (I used a mix of thyme, oregano and rosemary)
pinch salt, pepper & crushed chili flakes (more if you like it hot!)
1 cup old cheddar cheese, grated

Tomato Sauce
400g tin diced tomatoes, preferably organic*
1 tbsp. EVO
1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 clove garlic, pressed
1 tsp. sugar
generous pinch salt and freshly ground pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 F (200 C).
In a 9 x 13 rectangle baking dish, mix the tomato sauce ingredients.
Cut the zucchinis in half lengthwise. Scoop out the pulp, leaving half to 1 cm in the shell. Arrange the shells in the dish on the tomato sauce. Add 1 tbsp. EVO to a small fry pan. Over medium heat, fry the zucchini pulp and garlic, stirring occasionally, until golden brown (about 5 minutes).
In a food processor or blender, chop the bread until it's in large crumbs. Add 2 tbsp. of EVO, the herbs, salt, pepper and chili flakes. Pulse a few times to combine.
Add the bread mixture to the cooked zucchini and garlic. Stir to combine, then divide evenly among the zucchini shells. Sprinkle with the cheddar cheese.
Cover the dish with tinfoil and bake for 30-40 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 10 minutes. Zucchinis should be tender but hold their shape.

* In my opinion, canned organic tomatoes are much more flavourful than their non-organic counterparts.

Approximate nutritional value per serving:
Calories: 425  Fat: 26g  Protein: 15g