Make those zucchini boats for a very simple summer season dinner! They are recent and filling, full of a scrumptious mix of breadcrumbs, herbs, and cheese.
I began making this filled zucchini boats recipe a couple of years again. It’s been a staple in our summer season dinner rotation ever since!
I like this recipe for a number of causes. First, it’s an unbelievable strategy to profit from a summer season stockpile of zucchini. I don’t let any of the squash move to waste right here. As a substitute of tossing the scooped zucchini flesh, I combine it into the zesty filling.
2d, it’s filled with recent summer season taste. Those zucchini boats characteristic seasonal veggies like cherry tomatoes and recent herbs along with the zucchini. Lemon zest brightens up the filling too.
3rd, those filled zucchini boats are easy to make. You’ll hole out the squash and blend up the filling in 20 mins. Then, simply pop them within the oven to bake! They’re an exquisite summer season meal that you’ll have at the desk in underneath 45 mins. I am hoping you’re keen on them up to I do!
Components for Crammed Zucchini Boats
Right here’s what you’ll wish to make this filled zucchini recipe:
- Zucchini, in fact! I take advantage of it 2 tactics, stuffing the shells with a zucchini-loaded filling.
- Egg binds the filling in combination.
- Coarse breadcrumbs create a scrumptious frame for the filling—the highest will get toasty, whilst the interior remains wet.
- Parmesan cheese provides melty texture and umami taste.
- Garlic punches it up.
- Cherry tomatoes dot the filling with candy, juicy bites.
- Pine nuts upload crunch.
- Lemon zest and thyme give it a vivid, recent end.
- Further-virgin olive oil is helping the zucchini melt within the oven.
- And salt and pepper make all of the flavors pop!
In finding your entire recipe with measurements beneath.
Make Crammed Zucchini Boats
Crammed greens would possibly appear fussy, however they’re deceptively easy. As with my filled bell peppers and filled poblanos, those come in combination in only some steps. Right here’s all you wish to have to do:
- Minimize the zucchini. Halve them lengthwise and hole out the flesh, leaving a 1/4-inch-thick rim round every part.
- Make the filling. Chop any huge items of scooped flesh and switch all of it to a kitchen strainer. Press out any extra moisture, after which upload the zucchini flesh to a bowl with the egg, breadcrumbs, cherry tomatoes, thyme, lemon zest, cheese, garlic, pine nuts, and salt. Stir till the whole thing’s smartly blended.
- Load up the zucchini. Position the zucchini shells in a baking dish or on a baking sheet coated with parchment paper. Drizzle them with olive oil and spoon within the breadcrumb aggregate.
- Bake! Switch the filled squash to a 475°F oven and bake till the zucchini is smooth and the filling is about and well golden brown, 16 to 18 mins.
Experience!
Crammed Zucchini Recipe Guidelines
We’ve made this filled zucchini recipe (at first impressed by way of the filled zucchini within the Ottolenghi Easy cookbook) again and again. Following the following tips yields the most efficient effects:
- Squeeze out as a lot water as you’ll from the zucchini flesh sooner than stirring it into the filling. You don’t need it to be watery! Chop any larger zucchini chunks into small items sooner than including them to the seedy, pulpy innards and urgent them over a kitchen strainer.
- Don’t scoop an excessive amount of. Remember to go away a robust border of zucchini flesh to strengthen the yummy filling. For those who scoop an excessive amount of, your filled zucchini boats shall be flimsy.
- Make your personal breadcrumbs. Higher bread = higher bread crumbs, so discover a excellent baguette or loaf of crusty bread for this recipe. Tear it into chunks and pulse them in a meals processor to create coarse crumbs for the filling. Experience the remainder bread at the facet!
- Most sensible them with pesto. Those filled zucchini boats are nice on their very own, however a drizzle of pesto in point of fact takes them excessive. Make selfmade basil pesto or use store-bought. In pinch, tomato sauce or marinara sauce can be great right here too.
Serving Tips
We love those filled zucchini boats as a major or facet dish. If you’re making this recipe with 3 medium zucchini, it serves 6 as an aspect. If you’re making it with 2 huge zucchini, it serves 4 as a major route.
Pair the boats with a bowl of gazpacho or a summery pasta like my cherry tomato pasta or pesto pasta. They’d additionally move smartly with any of those summer season salads:
Leftover zucchini boats stay smartly in an hermetic container within the fridge for as much as 3 days. Reheat them within the microwave or a 350°F oven.
Extra Favourite Zucchini Recipes
For those who love this filled zucchini, check out the sort of zucchini recipes subsequent:
Crammed Zucchini Boats
Serves 4 to six
We like to make those filled zucchini boats for a very simple summer season dinner! With medium zucchini, the recipe serves 6 as an aspect dish. With huge zucchini, it serves 4 as a major route.
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Preheat the oven to 475°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
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Use a small spoon to hole out the flesh of the zucchini, leaving a bit of greater than ¼-inch thickness across the edges. Position them minimize facet up at the baking sheet.
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Make the filling. Position the scooped-out zucchini flesh right into a mesh strainer and gently press out any extra water. You must be left with 1 cup flesh. Chop any coarse items and switch to a medium bowl with the egg, bread crumbs, cheese, garlic, tomatoes, lemon zest, thyme, pine nuts, and salt. Combine till blended, the use of your arms if essential.
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Drizzle the hollowed-out zucchini with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spoon within the filling and bake for 16 to 18 mins, or till the filling is about and is golden brown and crisp on most sensible.
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Serve with pesto.
Impressed by way of the filled zucchini recipe in Ottolenghi Easy.