Vegetarian Stuffed Zucchini

Vegetarian Stuffed Zucchini! Zucchini boats are stuffed with quinoa, white beans, cherry tomatoes and Parmesan cheese and baked until tender.

Please do not be deterred from trying the following recipe because of my ridiculous title. Sadly, this little tune popped into my head as I was preparing these, and I just couldn’t resist. 😉

I heart zucchini. I like it plain, sauteed with just a little olive oil and a sprinkling of salt. I like it marinated & sliced into long slabs, grilled on an outdoor grill.  I like it as a pasta imposter. I even like it uncooked, diced small in a nice cold salad. It is really just good no matter how you cook it. So when this recipe from Real Simple showed up in my inbox today, I knew I’d give it a try and I knew it would be good.

These little boats are a yummy, healthy way to get some nutritious ingredients into a fun dish. You might even be able to trick little ones into taking a bite or two! We had these for lunch, but you could serve them as a side dish, snack, or appetizer.

If you don’t have the ingredients it calls for {or don’t care for some of the flavors, or have dietary restrictions…etc.} then swap them out for whatever you prefer. The “boats” can be filled with just about anything. I’m already picturing Zucchini Boat Pizzas…. 🙂 Yum!

Vegetarian Stuffed Zucchini

Vegetarian Stuffed Zucchini! Zucchini boats are stuffed with quinoa, white beans, cherry tomatoes and Parmesan cheese and baked until tender.

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Course Main Course

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Servings 4 servings

Author Dianna Muscari

Ingredients  

• ½ cup cooked quinoa
• 4 medium zucchini
• 15 ounces cannellini beans rinsed
• ½ cup cherry tomatoes quartered
• ¼ cup slivered almonds
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• ¾ cup grated Parmesan
• 4 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions 

• Heat oven to 400° F.
• Meanwhile, cut the zucchini in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds to create "boats". Arrange in a large baking dish or on a foil covered sheet pan, cut-side up.
• Fluff the quinoa and fold in the beans, tomatoes, almonds, garlic, ½ cup of the Parmesan, and 3 tablespoons of the oil.
• Spoon the mixture into the zucchini boats. Top with the remaining tablespoon of oil and ¼ cup Parmesan.
• Cover with foil and bake until the zucchini is tender, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake until golden, 8 to 10 minutes.