How to make Grilled Zucchini Boats
Grilled Zucchini Boats are absolutely delicious and easy to make. They are vegan, gluten-free, low in carbs and you can enjoy them spicy or mild.
Today is a bank holiday in Ireland and we have some friends coming over for dinner. I like making dishes in the oven when we are expecting guests because you can prepare everything in advance and simply put it into the oven once they arrive. For me, it takes a lot of pressure away because otherwise, I feel that I am juggling paying attention to our guests and the food.
As a big lover of zucchini or courgettes as they are called here in Ireland, you will always find some in the vegetable compartment of our fridge. It wouldn’t even be unusual for me start my day with some Chocolate Zoats followed by Zucchini Noodles with Tomato Sauce for lunch.
In fact, zucchinis aren’t the only vegetable that is perfectly suited for stuffing, Quinoa Stuffed Eggplant With Lemon Tahini Sauce and Beef And Millet Stuffed Peppers are also some favourites of mine.
Zucchini Nutrition Benefits
Due to its high water percentage, zucchini is low in calories, carbs and sugars, but high in essential nutrients like potassium, manganese, and antioxidants like vitamin C and vitamin A.
Zucchinis are
- A High Source of Antioxidants and Vitamin C
- Have Anti-Inflammatory Properties
- A High Source of Potassium
- Helping to Maintain Normal Digestion
- Low in Calories and Carbs
- A Good Source of Energizing B Vitamins
Since zucchini is high in water and absorbs a high percentage of the compounds from the soil it grows in, purchasing organic zucchini is the best way to obtain plenty of nutrients and to lower your risk of contaminants and pesticides.
Whenever I can, I try to buy as much locally-sourced, organic produce as possible. Plus, I enjoy the atmosphere at farmers markets and being able to talk to the producers directly is just the cherry on top of my weekly shopping trip.
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Your turn
Have you ever tried grilled stuffed zucchini boats before? Let me know, I’m looking forward to reading your comments.
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Grilled Zucchini Boats
Ingredients
- 3 zucchini medium sized
- 2 tablespoons olive oil divided
- ½ cup quinoa red or white
- 1 cup vegetable stock or water
- 1 small onion diced
- 1 red pepper diced
- 1 cup corn kernels
- 1 cup kidney beans canned
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon tomato puree
- 1 chilli deseeded and diced
- 1 tomato diced
- 1 tablespoon fresh coriander chopped
- 1 cup shredded vegan or cheddar cheese divided
Instructions
- Preheat the grill in your oven.
- Cut the zucchinis in half lengthwise and use a spoon to scoop out the centre and keep it for the stuffing. Make sure to leave about 1/2 inch of flesh all around to form a stuffable "boat".
- Place the zucchinis in a tray with the cut side up and brush with a thin layer of olive oil. Place it under the grill until it starts to brown evenly, you might have to turn the tray multiple times to achieve this depending on your grill. Take out the zucchinis while they are still firm.
- Meantime rinse your quinoa and bring the vegetable stock or water to a boil in a small sauce pan. Add the quinoa to the boiling stock, lower the heat and let simmer for about 15 minutes.
- At the same time, heat some olive oil in a large pan and stir fry the zucchini centres, onions, pepper, kidney beans and corn kernels for a couple of minutes.
- Add the garlic, cumin, oregano, tomato puree and chilli and mix to combine. Cover with a lid and let simmer for about 15 minutes.
- Add the cooked quinoa, tomatoes, coriander and 1/2 of the vegan or cheddar cheese.
- Fill the stuffing into the zucchini "boats" and sprinkle the leftover cheese on top.
- Place the tray back under the grill until the cheese melts and starts to brown, keep an eye on it so that it won't burn.
Notes
Nutrition
Your zucchini boats look spectacular and yes, I have tried versions of them before. As a pro tip, I only recommend using the larger zucchinis. The last time I made them, I used smaller ones and they more became zucchini plops than boats.
Hi Ben,
I am delighted to hear that you like them.
You definitely have a valid point, I tried to pick the widest ones I could find but I didn’t buy the very large ones because I couldn’t fit them into my tray.
If you are putting them on a baking tray you could certainly use any size you like and usually, there is a bit of spare filling so this shouldn’t be a problem either.
Have a great day. 🙂