Zucchini Beef Casserole

I'm sure most of you now have so much zucchini you don't know how to use it all up and are running out of people to give it to! It is funny how a garden works... during the long winter months we can only dream of having fresh tomatoes and produce from our garden and then during the dog days of summer we can hardly give our produce away because we have so much!   This recipe is fantastic for hot summer days because it uses the mircrowave and it uses up all that zucchini sitting on our kitchen cabinets staring at us! The recipe calls for the hamburger to be raw while cooking it in the microwave, but I do not like the consistency of the meat this way, so I cook the meat and then add it to the dish to microwave.
Zucchini Beef Casserole
1pd ground beef, lean
1tsp garlic powder
11/2C diced zucchini
1(14.5)oz can diced tomatoes, drained
1/2C instant rice
1/2C water
1/4C chopped onion, optional
1/4C soy sauce
3/4tsp dried basil, optional
Crumble beef into a 2qt microwave safe dish(this is where I precook the meat and then add it). Sprinkle this with garlic powder.  Cover and microwave on high for 2 minutes(unless you precook the meat). stir. Heat 1-2 minutes longer, or until cooked and its not pink.Drain if needed.  Stir in the rest of the ingredients. Cover and microwave on high for 20-25minutes, or until veggies and rice are tender. Stir twice during the cooking time.
This is a great dish and the kids loved it too! I'm sure you could adjust this to a slow cooker as well.

Visit Mandy's Recipe Box for other zucchini recipes