Easy Stuffed Zucchini

We eat lots of vegetables, but let’s face it, everything steamed, grilled or fried gets boring. I had a couple decent sized zucchini and decided to stuff one. I relied on a stuffing mix, but turned it up with some add in ingredients.

The easiest way I’ve found to scrape out zucchini is to use a melon baller. It’s sharp edges easily cut through the seedy part of a zucchini. This leaves a long hollowed out tunnel down the length of the zucchini half.

It’s as easy as making the stuffing mix on the stove top, adding in a few things to spice it up a bit, and make it healthier, and then piling the stuffing mix into the zucchini boat.

Add a little cheese on top and what can be better than that?

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Easy Stuffed Zucchini

a side dish with kicked up stuffing mix

Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword bacon and mushrooms with zucchini, easy stuffed zucchini, stuffed zucchini, zucchini boats
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings 4 people

Ingredients

  • 2 medium zucchini halved lengthwise
  • 2 large kale or swiss chard leaves, chopped small or 1/2 cup baby spinach
  • 4 slices bacon
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tbsp onion, chopped
  • 4-5 large button or cremini mushrooms, cleaned and diced
  • 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper
  • 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350F.

  2. Prepared the liquid & fat for the stuffing mix and heat until boiling. Add in the greens and cook for 2 minutes. Then add the stuffing mix and cook per the directions.

  3. Dice up the bacon, and cook in a skillet over medium low heat. Remove when cooked and set aside; pour of extra bacon grease. Add the onion and garlic. Saute briefly until onion wilts. Add in the diced mushrooms, and continue to cook for another 2-3 minutes.

  4. While the skillet ingredients cook, use a melon baller to scoop out the center/seeds of the zucchini. Place in the baking dish – it helps to oil the bottom to prevent stickiing.

  5. Season the onions/mushrooms with salt and pepper, and add smoked papprika. Stir to mix well.

  6. In the pot the stuffing mix in is, add the skillet ingredients and the reserved bacon, and mix well. Then scoop and heap inito the zucchini boats.

  7. Bake for 30 minutes; at about 25 minutes remove and sprinkle the boats with the cheese, and return to the oven for 5 mintues.

Recipe Notes

Change up the flavoring with different spices – I would try cumin or an Italian herb mix.  Or use 1/4 lb of sausage instead of bacon.