An easy recipe for stuffed zucchini boats that does not use ground meat. Easily customizable, this tasty summer dinner is everyone’s favorite! Can be prepped ahead!
Great recipe when you have a lot of zucchinis. Perfect as an appetizer or main, stuffed vegetables are delicious no matter what they are.
No zucchini? No problem! Use bell peppers or eggplant/aubergine instead. You could also try yellow summer squash.
How do you make stuffed zucchini boats?
Tools you will need:
A large baking tray with edges/sheet pan – Or a casserole dish large enough to hold all the zucchinis. Or use 2 small ones, anything that you can fit in the oven in one go and is oven safe!
- Chopping board and knife
- Measuring spoons
- Skillet/frying pan – medium to large
- Spoon – to make the “boats”
- Spatula/wooden spoon – for stirring
Ingredients for zucchini boats:
- Olive oil
- Celery
- Bell pepper
- Zucchini
- Salt – I used celery salt.
- Herbs de Provence – Italian seasoning is a great alternative!
- Pureed tomatoes – diced or plum tomatoes that you run through a food processor are also an option.
- Couscous – This ingredient is also optional but great if you want to make this a filling dinner.
- Rotisserie chicken – Or any leftover chicken you have on hand!
- Olives – Omit if you don’t like them.
- Parmesan – Optional. Also, other types of grated cheese are fine to use.
Preparation
Prep zucchini – Scrape the flesh out, season with a bit of salt and pepper, and prebake in the oven.
Make the filling – Sauté all the veggies, seasoning, and sauce in a skillet. Add cooked chicken and cooked quinoa.
Fill and bake until the zucchinis are tender.
It is a great vegetable to cook with. It tastes delicious whether it is stuffed, raw, turned into soups, mini pizza bites or enjoyed in lasagna.
More recipe ideas with at the end of this post!
Frequently asked questions
I don’t recommend doing so. They will turn mushy when thawed and lose a lot of their flavor. Tip: If you have a ton of this tasty summer vegetable, make a zucchini soup out of them. It freezes really well!
Some people don’t do this, but I recommend doing so. You will reduce your overall cooking time because you will cook them while sautéing the veggies. Even 10 minutes in a preheated oven is better than filling them when raw.
Note that this will vary depending on the thickness of the vegetables as well as your oven and your taste. Also, the more flesh you scoop out the less cooking time you will need.
Count with about 30 minutes for the larger ones. 10-15 minutes pre-cooking and 15 minutes in the oven after filling them.
Like most vegetables, it should be firm to touch.
Cooked zucchini boats should last 2-3 days when stored properly (Make sure to use an airtight container).
More zucchini recipes
- Shaved Zucchini Salad – A different way to use this vegetable.
- Zucchini Lasagna – This is not a meatless recipe!
- Vegetable Foil Packets – A tasty side perfect for grilling, outdoor entertaining, or camping!
- Zucchini Risotto – if you have an instant pot pressure cooker, I recommend you give it a go.
- Vegetable Lasagna – Uses all kinds of vegetables, so if you have a garden and an abundance of veggies, you might like to try this.
- Chicken Curry – You won’t even know it’s there as it dissolves during cooking. Might be worth giving it a shot when you have picky eaters at home. It is a mild curry.
Stuffed Zucchini Boats
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil , see note 1
- 1 celery rib (large, diced), see note 2
- 1 red bell pepper , see note 3
- 3 zucchini (large), see note 4
- ½ teaspoon celery salt , see note 5
- 1 tablespoon herbs de provence , see note 6
- 1 cup pureed tomatoes
- 1 cup couscous (cooked), see note 7
- 1 cup rotisserie chicken (cooked), see note 8
- ¼ cup olives , see note 9
- grated parmesan (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 Fahrenheit (200 Celsius).
- Meanwhile: Half each zucchini lengthwise and scoop out the flesh – leave enough so that they hold their shape when cooked but also scoop out plenty so you can fill them generously. Save ½ of the flesh for later.
- Place each zucchini half onto a large sheet pan/baking tray and season with celery salt. Bake until the flesh is soft, about 15 minutes.
- Prepare the filling: Heat oil in a pan, add diced celery, diced pepper and zucchini flesh. Sauté for about 10 minutes.
- Add celery salt, Herbs de Provence, pureed tomatoes and cook on medium-high for a further 5 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and stir in couscous, chicken and olives.
- Fill each zucchini generously and return to the oven. Bake for about 15 minutes or until the zucchini is cooked through (or to your liking), see note 10.
- When ready, serve as is or with parmesan on top (or any other grated cheese)!
Notes
- Olive oil can be substituted for other cooking oil (if you are not following the Mediterranean diet).
- Celery can be omitted if you don’t have it on hand. Use 1 medium onion instead.
- Red, green, or yellow pepper works just fine. Add what you have on hand.
- Each zucchini I used weighed about a pound (450 grams).
- Use regular salt if you don’t have celery salt on hand.
- Italian seasoning is a great alternative.
- I add couscous to make this dish more filling. You can omit it if you like.
- Any leftover chicken pieces will work in this recipe!
- About 15 regular-size olives (or more if you like, or less if you don’t). You can also omit them.
- Cooking time will vary, depending on the size of the zucchini, its thickness, and also on your oven.
- This recipe is totally customizable – i.e. add more chicken, less couscous, more celery, less pepper…
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