Delicious, EASY, Cheap Dinner

This is a recipe that was passed to our family from my (great, great) Uncle Joe, who was Italian. It requires just a few ingredients and it is delicious. We had it last night for dinner. YUM! :)

Zucchini Squash Dinner

1 lb. ground beef
7-8 small zucchinis (or 3-4 large zucchinis)
1 14.5 oz. can diced or crushed tomatoes, with juice
1-2 14.5 oz. cans of water
Garlic powder to taste (I use about 1/2 tsp)
Salt to taste (I use about 1/2 tsp to 1 tsp)
Pepper to taste (I use about 1/8 tsp)
Parmesan cheese
Rice

1) Prepare rice as per box directions
2) Cut zucchinis lengthwise and then in slices, so that they are a half-circle shape, about 1/4 to 1/2 inch in diameter
3) Brown ground beef in large skillet with salt, pepper, and garlic powder; drain if needed
4) Add tomatoes, water, zucchini slices, and more salt/pepper/garlic powder if needed
5) Simmer, uncovered, for about 30 minutes, or until zucchini is transparent. Serve over rice and dust with parmesan cheese as desired.



You can peel the zucchini if you want to, but I leave the skins on. It cooks so long that probably most of the nutrients are boiled out by then, but I still feel like I get more vitamins with leaving the skins on. LOL! Definitely adjust the spices to your taste. I like a lot of garlic and salt, obviously. I am not even going to show you how much parmesan I REALLY use...you wouldn't even be able to see the dish! :)