Herb-Stuffed Zucchini Boats Recipe

These stuffed zucchini boats can be served cold or hot. If you serve the dish cold, sharpen the flavor by garnishing it with additional fresh herbs just before serving: Fresh basil, tarragon, parsley or chives are good choices in summer. When the weather is cooler, this dish can be made heartier with the addition of chopped leftover cooked meat or cold cuts. —Jacques Pépin

 

Herb-Stuffed Zucchini Boats

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 3 zucchini of equal size (about 2½ pounds total)
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for sprinkling
• 2 onions (about 12 ounces), coarsely chopped (about 1½ cups)
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped (about 1 tablespoon)
• ½ cup minced scallions (about 5 scallions)
• 4 cups 1-inch cubes leftover bread
• 1 cup milk
• ½ cup chopped fresh herbs (chives, flat-leaf parsley, or basil or a mixture of these), plus extra if serving cold
• ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
• 2 large eggs, preferably organic
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

 

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Wash the zucchini, trim the ends and cut in half lengthwise. Using a metal measuring tablespoon with sharp edges, hollow out the inside of the zucchini; remove most of the seeds and a little of the flesh so the remaining shells are about a half inch thick. There should be about 4 cups of flesh and seeds. Chop the flesh coarsely into half-inch pieces. Set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add the onions and sauté for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic, scallions and reserved zucchini flesh and seeds, stir, cover and cook for 5 minutes, or until the mixture is soft. Set aside.

Combine the bread and milk in a bowl and mash together until most of the milk has been absorbed by the bread and the mixture is like a paste. Add the chopped herbs, Parmesan cheese, cayenne, eggs, ½ teaspoon of the salt and the pepper. Mix well and combine with the reserved zucchini mixture.

Arrange the zucchini “boats” in a large roasting pan and sprinkle with the remaining ½ teaspoon salt. Divide and mound equal portions of the stuffing into the boats and bake until browned, 30 to 35 minutes. (If not brown enough, place the zucchini under a hot broiler for a couple of minutes to brown the stuffing on top.) Serve hot, sprinkled with another drizzle of olive oil, or serve cool (not cold), sprinkled with the olive oil and additional herbs.

Reprinted with permission from Jacques Pépin Cooking My Way: Recipes and Techniques for Economical Cooking by Jacques Pépin, photographs by Tom Hopkins, Harvest Books, 2023.

 

Cook With Jacques

Pépin shared two more recipes from Cooking My Way for AARP members to try:

Cauliflower and Crumbs

Cook the cauliflower ahead of time and add in homemade breadcrumbs for a tasty crunch.

Apple-Pear Brown Betty

Try this easy dessert you can make in mere minutes.

Read about Jacques Pépin’s cookbook, Cooking My Way.