Zucchini Boats with Mozzarella and Tomatoes [Recipe]
My neighbor Tim down the street has an amazing garden! I love that he tends it and I get to reap some of the rewards! They cannot possibly eat all the zucchini they harvest so he’s always calling asking if I would take some off his hands… and I have NEVER said no!
Last night we ate late and I decided to clean out the fridge at the same time… that means I used up lots of little leftovers… and I made my Zucchini Boats with Mozzarella and Tomatoes. They are simple to make and you can use all sorts of stuff you find in the fridge to stuff it! Heck you don’t even HAVE to use Mozzarella or Tomatoes! You can substitute Yellow Summer Squash for the zucchini! It’s a very forgiving and versatile recipe so have fun with it!
I wasn’t kidding that you can use just about anything. Here is a low carb version of a stuffed zucchini:
Now MY recipe, which could have ricotta instead of mozzarella and pizza or spaghetti sauce instead of the olive oil, is also pretty low carb. I added pre-cooked crumbled bacon to mine but you could just as easily leave that out for a vegetarian version. When I make them I always leave one vegetarian for my daughter-in-law Heather. I add the bacon or pre-cooked crumbled ground beef for the rest of us. Actually we could use a veggie burger crumbled on the vegetarian version too! When I say versatile I mean it! Here’s the vegetarian version before it goes into the oven:
So lets get to it to see how this delicious dish is made!
- 2 medium to large zucchinis
- ½ pound mozzarella cubed or shredded
- two medium to large tomatoes seed and diced
- ¼ red pepper diced
- ¼ yellow pepper diced
- 1 small sweet onion or equivalent of scallions diced
- 1 small can of pre-cooked mushrooms
- 4 slices of pre-cooked bacon crumbled
- Extra Virgin olive oil
- Fresh basil chiffonade
- Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Cut zucchinis lengthwise and scoop out an indentation in the very center of their zucchini*. Note the video above to see about how much you want to remove. Drizzle the hollowed squash with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Bake on a cookie sheet (with sides to catch the juice that is sure to result from baking) or another pan that accommodates your squash and cook for about 20 minutes, until the zucchini gives a little to your touch.
- Remove par-baked zucchini from the oven and turn the temperature up to 450°.
- Start filling your zucchini with any and all the ingredients you decide you want to add for a filling. Drizzle with more olive oil and sprinkle fresh basil slivers. Add your crumbled bacon over the top of each squash. Drizzle with a little more olive oil and season with kosher salt and fresh-ground black pepper. Top with shredded cheese if using.
- Put your zucchini boats back in the now 450° oven and cook for another 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbling and the entire zucchini boat is heated through.
Plate your zucchini boats for whatever type of serving makes sense with your meal. Here you see one cut in half on the diagonal to serve as an entree. I prefer to slice mine diagonally into 2″ portions to serve as a side-dish. There are no rules, whatever works for you is fine.
Not sure how or what chiffonade is? It’s just a fancy term for how to cut your basil into slivers! Here’s a quick video to show you how:
So there you go… when your garden, or your neighbor is bringing forth zucchini after zucchini with no respite try making zucchini boats stuffed with whatever your taste buds desire!
Enjoy!
p.s. so what is YOUR favorite way to use zucchini?
Delicious lasagna stuffed zucchini….fast easy recipe that won’t make you FAT. Featuring author and chef Doug Varrieur creator of the FAT TO SKINNY series of weight loss books and recipes. http://www.FATtoSKINNY.com
Expand the description and view the text of the steps for this how-to video.
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No, it’s not some old-timey dance step. Or something draped over the lights in a brothel. Chiffonade is a technique used to cut leafy vegetables and herbs into slender ribbons.
To complete this How-To you will need:
A chef’s knife
A cutting board
A leafy vegetable or herb
Step 1: Wash vegetable
Wash the vegetable or herb, cutting off any stems that are still attached.
Step 2: Stack leaves
Stack a handful of leaves on top of each other.
Tip: If you’re using basil, stack up about 8 leaves at a time; for leafy greens, stack about 3 leaves.
Step 3: Hold stack
Roll the stack up tightly and hold it horizontally on the board in front of you with one hand.
Step 4: Grasp knife
Grasp the knife in your dominant hand, holding the handle close to the blade with three fingers: your middle, ring, and pinkie. Curl your forefinger around one side of the blade while holding your thumb on the opposite side.
Step 5: Hold roll
Hold the roll with your non-knife-wielding hand close to the area you will cut.
Tip: Curl your fingers so that the tips are firmly planted on the roll and the knuckles point outward—in the food world, this is called the ‘claw grip.’
Step 6: Slice on angle
Starting at one end, make thin slices with your knife at a 60-degree angle to the roll. Make the slices about 1/16 to 1/8 of an inch apart—creating very slender ribbons.
Tip: When cutting, be sure to keep your fingers tucked in from the blade and allow your knuckles to guide the blade across the roll.
Step 7: Add more greens
If you need more greens, stack, roll, and cut another handful of leaves until you have enough for your garnish.
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About Marge Burkell
I've had many chapters in my life and have worn many hats. Wife, mother, grandmother, artist, business owner and professional. I would love to share them with you. So grab a coffee and stick around a while! Welcome to "Honey I AM the HELP!"
