By Kelly Bogard

On your mark, get set, DIG! It’s planting season for summer vegetables, and Texas gardeners are preparing their onions, tomatoes, summer squash and leafy greens—just to name a few.

For this girl, fresh veggies from a garden are heavenly. In celebration of spring planting, I decided to share my recipe for Zucchini Boats. They are full of veggies and are the perfect side dish for pretty much any main dish you plan to cook. Plus, I am totally in love with the colors of spring and summer vegetables. They are so bright and vibrant.

For Zucchini Boats, you need…Zucchini Boats - ingredients
2 medium, firm zucchinis
1/2 sweet onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Roma tomato, chopped
1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 tsp. dried oregano
olive oil
salt and pepper

Normally when I make Zucchini Boats, I leave the meat to my husband so I can focus on the vegetables, which usually includes a great spinach salad, as well. This also means he cooks on the grill and there is less mess in the kitchen.

First things first. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove the ends of your zucchinis and slice in half lengthwise. Using a teaspoon, scrape the majority of the meat from the zucchini and set aside in a bowl. When I say majority, it really means all but about a 1/4 inch of the zucchini on the sides so it will still hold its shape.

Zucchini Boats - scraped

Rough chop the zucchini from the bowl and combine it with the onion and garlic. Season with the oregano, salt and pepper.

Zucchini Boats - chopped

In a small sauce pan coated with olive oil, sauté the vegetables until the onions begin to soften and the liquid has decreased. Set aside to cool.

Zucchini Boats - saute

Brush the zucchini skins with olive oil and place in a square baking dish.

Zucchini Boats - dressed

Combine the cooked vegetables with the tomatoes, breadcrumbs and cheese.

Zucchini Boats - mixed

Fill each zucchini skin with the mixture. If you want, you can sprinkle the top with a little extra cheese or breadcrumbs to add some crunch.

Zucchini Boats - prepared

Bake for 30-35 minutes, remove and cool for approximately 5 minutes before serving.

Zucchini Boats - baked

Your kitchen will smell so good after making these that you’ll have a hard time waiting to eat them. Now, I just need to find time to plant a garden in a spot where my dogs won’t dig it up. Maybe I’ll just hit up the farmers’ market instead. They should be filling up pretty soon.

I hope you’re finding time to enjoy the beautiful Texas spring weather. From all of us at Texas Table Top, enjoy!

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Zucchini Boats

Summary: Baked zucchini stuffed with veggies and cheese

Zucchini Boats - final

Ingredients

  • 2 medium, firm zucchinis
  • 1/2 sweet onion, chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 Roma tomato, chopped
  • 1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs
  • 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
  • 1 tsp. dried oregano
  • olive oil
  • salt and pepper

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • Cut ends off zucchini and slice in half lengthwise.
  • Scrape out all but 1/4 inch of meat from the inside of each zucchini half.
  • Rough chop meat removed and combine with chopped onions, garlic and seasoning.
  • Saute over medium-high heat with olive oil until onions become translucent and liquid has been removed. Set aside to cool.
  • Brush the zucchini skins with olive oil and move to a square baking dish.
  • Add tomatoes, bread crumbs and cheese to the cooked vegetables. Stir to combine.
  • Fill each zucchini skin with the vegetable mixture.
  • Bake for 30-35 minutes.
  • Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Prep time (duration): 15 minutes

Cook time (duration): 30-35 minutes

Number of servings (yield): 4

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