Hey guys! I’m always looking for good meal prep ideas, and these Balsamic Veggie Zucchini Boats check off all of the boxes! They’re healthy, delicious, easy to make and super satisfying.
They’re comprised of perfect little vessels of roasted zucchini stuffed with an amazing mix of sauteed veggies- including onion, garlic, mushrooms, chickpeas, the insides of the zucchini, and some RICED CAULIFLOWER. Told you I’d be back with some great riced cauliflower recipes! All of this veg goes so well together, and the addition of the balsamic is the finishing touch.
The zucchini gets cut into four quarters…
And then the centres are scooped out to make lil “boats”. I just scooped out enough to remove all the seeds and make sure that I could get a good amount of filling in there. After being rubbed with some olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper, they get placed on a parchment lined baking sheet and roasted until tender- about 15 minutes. The beauty of zucchini is that it doesn’t need very much time at all to cook! Just make sure you take it out right at the 15 minute mark so you’re not left with mush.
While the zucchini is roasting, all of the veg gets cooked together to make a delicious stuffing! I love all of the flavours in here- and the chickpeas and cauliflower rice add a nice heartiness. When you have both of your components all cooked up, the veggie filling is scooped into the zucchini boats, and everything goes back into the oven and broiled for 5 more minutes. This ensures that stuffing gets a little crisp on top- so so good!
These boats make an amazing side dish, appetizer, or lunch! Making a bunch of these at the start of the week for meal prep is also a great idea:) The flavours in here are so tasty, and with the chickpeas in there you get in your fix of protein and fibre. These zucchini boats will definitely shake up your lunch or dinner routine!
Hope you enjoy this recipe!
Yours Truly,
Olivia:))
Balsamic Veggie Stuffed Zucchini Boats
Ingredients
-1 large zucchini -1/2 tbsp + 2 tsp olive oil
-2 white mushrooms, diced
-2 tbsp diced red onion
-1 clove of garlic, minced
-2/3 cup riced cauliflower
-1 tsp balsamic vinegar
-1/3 cup canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
-1/2 tsp dried oregano
-Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Cut off the top and bottom of the zucchini, then cut it in half lengthwise. Cut the halves in half width wise, leaving you with four even pieces of zucchini.
3. Scoop out the centres of the zucchini, removing the seeds but not too much of the flesh, and creating a vessel that can be stuffed. Set the insides of the zucchini aside.
4. Place the zucchini boats on a parchment lined baking sheet, and rub each one with about a 1/2 tsp of olive oil. Sprinkle them with salt and pepper, then place them in the oven for 15 minutes.
5. Heat up the remaining olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add in the onion, garlic, cauliflower, mushrooms, chickpeas, and the insides of the zucchini. Sautee for about 5 minutes, until the onion is translucent. Add the balsamic into the pan and continue to cook for 2 more minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.
6. Once the zucchini boats are done roasting, remove them from the oven and scoop a 1/4 of the sauteed veggie filling into each boat. Place the pan back into the oven and broil the stuffed zucchini for 5 minutes.
7. Remove the pan from the oven and serve warm.
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