I love a zucchini boat, don’t you? It gives you the same kind of fun entire-meal-in-a-baking-dish vibe that casserole does but it feels a little more special, probably because it’s a vessel made out of a vegetable, and that’s just pretty nifty.
In any case, it’s a creative way to get your veggies in and in this particular case those summer squash are stuffed with a filling that’s inspired by one of the most delicious classics out there — Chicken Parm. These are easy to whip up and easy to enjoy, which is just the kind of recipe I always have my eye out for.
Stuffed Zucchini (or zucchini boats) are truly simple to make, so don’t be at all afraid if you haven’t tried them before. You just want to cut the ends of of some zucchini (yes, other summer squash work fine too!) and then cut them in half lengthwise. From there, you’ll take a spoon and scoop out the flesh from the center of the zucchini, leaving a border around the edge and some thickness at the bottom. (Like a boat, more or less!)
But don’t discard that zucchini flesh. You’re going to want to chop it up and add it to your filling.
First you’re going to bake those zucchini by themselves to soften them up a bit. But while they’re in the oven, you’ll work on the filling by browning up some ground chicken with garlic, Italian seasoning, and that chopped zucchini flesh. A little marinara goes in too before you spoon that filling into the zucchini boats.
Then you’ll top them off with marinara, mozzarella, and breadcrumbs — just like you’d expect from good, crispy chicken parm — and pop them in the oven once more.
And what happens in the oven? Well the marinara gets bubbly, the breadcrumbs get crispy, that cheese gets ooey-gooey, and the zucchini gets nice and tender. It’s not quite second fiddle to the rest of the ingredients, but the squash flavor is neutral enough that the hearty and comforting flavors of chicken parm shine through. (But you still get your veggies in, so win-win!)
Chicken Parm Stuffed Zucchini
Yield(s): Serves 6
10m prep time
35m cook time
Ingredients
- 4 medium zucchini
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more, as needed
- 1 lb ground chicken
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 cups marinara sauce
- 1 cup mozzarella, shredded
- 1/4 cup parmesan, grated
- 1/4 cup breadcrumbs
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Slice ends from zucchini, then cut zucchini in half lengthwise. Scoop the center flesh from the zucchini with a spoon, then chop the flesh and set aside.
- Arrange zucchini halves in a baking dish or on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and bake 20 minutes.
- While zucchini bakes, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook, using a wooden spoon to break meat up as it cooks, and cook until brown, about 10 minutes.
- Add Italian seasoning, garlic, chopped zucchini flesh, and then season with salt and pepper. Continue cooking 3-4 more minutes. Stir in 1/2 cup of the marinara.
- Spoon chicken mixture evenly into zucchini halves. Spoon remaining marinara over the top, then top with mozzarella and parmesan. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs.
- Bake until cheese if bubbly and lightly golden, about 15 minutes more. Enjoy!
Recipe adapted from The Food Network.