Stuffed Zucchini with Vegetable Rice and Cheese

Stuffed Zucchini with Vegetable Rice and Cheese recipe with step-by-step images

Summer offers so many wonderful kinds of fruits and vegetables that I don’t even know where to look first or what to grab.

What a wonderful time of year.

I wish there was a country where they have summer all the time.

Or wait …is there a country like that?

Is there?

Then I’m moving right now!

Anyway, these days I just walk through the supermarket aisles and wait excitedly which one of the luscious beauties will speak to me first.

This time it was zucchini and – mmmm – was that a good choice. It allowed me to prepare this truly light, healthy, playful and flavorful dish.

Your body will thank you if you make it too…

Stuffed Zucchini with Vegetable Rice and Cheese recipe with step-by-step images

The ingredients are – as usual with me – very simple.

‘Cause I like simple…

Stuffed Zucchini with Vegetable Rice and Cheese recipe with step-by-step images

1. First, wash the zucchinis and cut them in half lengthwise.

2. Then, using a spoon, scoop out the flesh and set it aside.

Stuffed Zucchini with Vegetable Rice and Cheese recipe with step-by-step images

3. Place the zucchinis into a baking pan…

Stuffed Zucchini with Vegetable Rice and Cheese recipe with step-by-step images

4. …sprinkle them with salt and drizzle with some vegetable oil (if you want to go super-healthy here, then use olive oil).

5. Pop the baking pan into the oven which you have preheated to 350 F (175 C) and bake for about 10 minutes only.

Stuffed Zucchini with Vegetable Rice and Cheese recipe with step-by-step images

6. In the meantime, chop the flesh you have removed from the zucchinis into little pieces.

Stuffed Zucchini with Vegetable Rice and Cheese recipe with step-by-step images

7. Peel and chop the onion.

Stuffed Zucchini with Vegetable Rice and Cheese recipe with step-by-step images

8. Drizzle a frying pan with a little oil.

9. Add the onion, the zucchini flesh, season it with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper and fry, stirring constantly, for about 10 minutes.

Stuffed Zucchini with Vegetable Rice and Cheese recipe with step-by-step images

9. Then add you wonderful, colorful vegetables and fry for another 10 minutes (or until soft).

10. Cook the rice in the vegetable broth.

The picture above shows the initial stage of the rice cooking. When the rice is cooked it should have absorbed all the liquid.

Stuffed Zucchini with Vegetable Rice and Cheese recipe with step-by-step images

11. Grate the cheese.

I am using Edam here; you can choose any cheese that you like or have in the fridge.

Stuffed Zucchini with Vegetable Rice and Cheese recipe with step-by-step images

12. Now combine the vegetable mixture from the frying pan with the rice and 1/2 cup of the grated cheese.

You can even add a few drops of Worcester sauce – it will ‘lift’ the taste slightly and accentuate the other flavors.

Stuffed Zucchini with Vegetable Rice and Cheese recipe with step-by-step images

13. Stuff the zucchini halves with the rice mixture and cover the top with the rest of the grated cheese.

Stuffed Zucchini with Vegetable Rice and Cheese recipe with step-by-step images

14. And now, just for kicks, sprinkle the whole thing with yummy sunflower seeds (or pumpkin seeds if you prefer those).

The seeds add an interesting and surprising twist to this dish, just try it, it’s fun…

Stuffed Zucchini with Vegetable Rice and Cheese recipe with step-by-step images

15. Put the stuffed zucchinis back into the oven and bake them at the same temperature (350 F – 175 C) for 20-25 minutes.

Stuffed Zucchini with Vegetable Rice and Cheese recipe with step-by-step images

It’s delicious, I’m telling you.

A scrumptious, light summer dish.

Yum!

Enjoy, dear friends.

(This recipe makes 2 portions.)

32 thoughts on “Stuffed Zucchini with Vegetable Rice and Cheese

  1. 1
    Tes says:

    Thailand is the country that almost like summer all the time 🙂

    Ummm this stuffed zucchini recipe sounds really fresh, heathy and yummy. Those look like cute boats with all the goodies 🙂

  2. 2
    Sue says:

    Deeeelicious! I love stuffed zucchini!

  3. 3

    nice recipie. looks delicious.

  4. 4
    Margot says:

    Wonderful dish, love it 🙂

  5. 5
    frugal cook says:

    been looking for something like this. already cooking with whats on hand . had 1 giant zucchini par -cooking right now. sauteed italian frying peppers with garlic and onions,added cherry tomatoes for stuffing. everything from my garden today. will add cheese topping before baking. I hope it as beautiful as your pictures

  6. 6
    Natalie says:

    I just changed a few things… I used minute rice, half a cup of rice, and I used 1/2 a cup of chicken broth for the liquid. I just made the rice according to the package. That amount of liquid in the recipe must be for slower cooking rice.

    I put an italian twist on these… After I cooked the zucchini and onions, I put frozen spinach in, instead of the mixed veggies.

    When I cooked the zucchini’s in the oven, I just sprayed them with olive oil cooking spray instead of brushing on olive oil to cut back on the calories. I used a sea salt grinder and freshly ground black pepper on the zucchinis.

    I used 1/4 cup of reduced fat provolone cheese that I had cut up into small pieces, and 1/4 cup of parmesan. This was PLENTY of cheese. I don’t think you need the entire cup. Especially if you’re trying to make these a bit healthier. So in total I only used 1/2 cup of cheese.

    Since I only used 1/2 the cheese, I put it all in the veggie mixture, instead of topping with more cheese, I topped with a sprinkling of italian bread crumbs. Yummm!

    They came out absolutely DELICIOUS! To die for! I really like my substitutions, what a versatile recipe!

  7. 7
    Malene says:

    Thank you for this inspiration-
    We had these huge zucchini’s from our garden, so it was perfect- I already had stuffing in mind before finding your recipe, but it helped me alot..

    Orzo instead of rice- used the veggie broth as you said to do-

    For veggies i used fresh portobello mushrooms, green bell pepper, zucchini leftover, carrots, onion.

    Added fresh ginger and hot red pepper
    as well as curry powder.

    Olive oil- use it for everything or coconut oil

    Everything was organic- as well as the raw cheese for topping.. 🙂

    It’s in the owen as i write- can’t wait to eat it.. 🙂

    Thank you again

  8. 8
    Malene says:

    it was very very tasty… 🙂 mmmmmm

    even more for leftovers… 🙂

  9. 9
    mail.beinitaly@gmail.com says:

    HI!!
    this recipe sounds very good! but you are frying!+ u are using pumpkin seeds and a lot of cheese. These 3 things alone make the recipe very fat!! I suggest you try a lighter version of this recipe, very healthy and complete. With tuna and capers! I am very curious of ur comments! keep up the good work!!!

  10. 10
  11. 11
    Blondie says:

    I have been wanting to try stuffed baked zucchini and was looking for instructions that I could use as a guide and then do my own previsions. Thank you so much. Love the step by step and mine turned out delicious! I had a huge zucchini, which I cut into 4th, scooped out the middle, srayed lightly with olive oil spray, sprinkled with salt & pepper and baked for 25 minutes. While it was baking I did a stir fry, as I like my veggies slightly crunchy and they hold more of their nutritents not cooked completed. I used the following ingreidents: green beans, carrots, snap peas, celery, orange/yellow/red sweet peppers – which added some spice, sliced garlic, green onions, mushrooms and chicken breast. I filled the zucchini with the veggie/chicken mixture and only baked long enough to melt a small amount of cheesse one the top (which really can be left off) and topped with toasted sunflower seeds. Yummy! My husband does not like zucchini and saw the halfs in the oven baking and turned up his nose. However, he saw me making the stir fry and it was smelling really good. So while I was enjoying my veggie’chicken meal dish, he came over and had to have a bite. He like it!! Said it was very good! Thank you again for sharing!

  12. 12
    lemurianvenus says:

    if you want to be, in a place where it is summer always,then ;it is my place in india!pls come,try and sweat it out.i always wish the contrary,but still i love my place.your recipes are wonderful.you’ve made complicated dishes seem simple.the store bought garam masala ,you have used in your lentil soup cannot be as superior as the masala that you can prepare at home.try to make one yourself and store it.also there is something called a sambar powder,which you will get in indian spice stores,try that with your lentil soup.that is the best masala powder to go with lentils and garam masala goes well with curries.

  13. 13
    Alex says:

    Thank you for this recipe, I have some Lebanese zucchinis going crazy in my garden and this was a delish way to get rid of two of them!

  14. 14
    Hannah says:

    If you don’t mind the added fat, coconut milk makes this recipe even better!

  15. 15
    Sheona says:

    Made these for dinner, followed your recipe to a tee and they were beautiful. Thanks so much for the recipe.

  16. 16
    Abbey says:

    Hey, I love all your recipes and my boyfriend and I got zucchini yesterday from the flea market! I want to make him a vegetarian dinner, what would you reccomend a good “man” side dish would be with this? All i could think of was a type of bread. Any suggestions?
    Love all your recipes! They are delicious!
    Abbey

  17. 17
    Gina F. says:

    Thanks for the inspiration. I’ll be making similar ones for supper tonight.

  18. 18
    Lila says:

    Found some lovely white zucchini at the farmer’s market and made this tonight. It was wonderful! Used 1/4 c grana padano parmigiano, 1 link of Trader Joe’s Sweet Italian Chicken Sausage, a small carrot, and a touch of garlic powder with the rice in the filling. The worcestorshire sauce was a great suggestion that I would have never thought of otherwise!

  19. 19
    Bethany says:

    UUUUUUUH. YUUUUUUM! Cook this, everyone. Thank you.

  20. 20
    ceebee says:

    Perfect for leftover vegs (mushrooms, vadalia onions, grated carrots, chopped seeded plum tomato). I added roasted red peppers from my freezer stock (year round when they are on sale they come home with me) and go straight into the oven for roasting. Had a bit of mixed ground beef and pork from a meatloaf I was doing at the same time for another night so threw that in the stir fry too. I used minute rice cooked in homemade chicken stock from the freezer. Had a beautiful bit of parmesan to grate in for the cheese addition. We loved it. One of those recipes that will never be the same twice. Nor should it be! It’s a “lets use up the vegs before shopping day” type of recipe. Have to go….another zucchini awaits me in my garden…..

  21. 21
    Judy hatfield says:

    I added a small amount Italian sausage to my zucchini boat and some Ham to my husband’s. Very tasty. Definately will make again. My husband is a very fussy eater and even he remarked how good the zucchini boats were. Thanks for sharing this recipe

  22. 22
    debra oliphant says:

    hi i just wanted to say thanks for the step by step but i also did try different things as well i put mushrooms, green peppers and carrots also put bread crumbs on it as well as in it and i probably will add a little bit of sauce just before the end of it i just want to say thanks

  23. 23
    Lucy says:

    This is the second time I made this! It awesome! Wish I could print the recipe tho so I can close this tab

    • 23.1
      Petra says:

      Hi Lucy! I am glad you like the recipe! You can sure print it out by clicking on the first icon below the post – you can then remove any photos or parts of text that you do not wish to be printed by clicking on them. I hope this helped. Enjoy! Petra 🙂

  24. 24
    quat suoi dien says:

    cám ơn b nhé

  25. 25
    Tom says:

    Worcester sauce is an Anchovy based sauce isn’t it?…http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Worcestershire_sauce

  26. 26
    Joan says:

    It would be great if you offered a easy to print version.

    • 26.1
      kangaroo says:

      Joan, use the first icon on the left, right below the post, called PrintFriendly to easily create a print-out of the post.

  27. 27
    Sonya says:

    Just came across this recipe for stuffed zucchini and can’t wait to try it. Never made stuffed zucchini before. It looks yummy and simple to make. Thanks for this recipe.

Leave a Reply to Tom Cancel reply

Send this to a friend