Grilling cuisine isn’t always about tossing large slabs of meat over fire and charring the food until ready for the table. It is more about using the heat source to impart amazing flavors to your dishes that cannot be achieved through other methods of preparation. Some such dishes that benefit beautifully from the flavors of the grill are the delicate nuances of vegetables.
One of our favorite appetizers begging for the some fire are Grilled Stuffed Zucchini Boats, packed full of herbs and other veggies that combine to make a hearty dish equally as versatile as a starter, but substantial enough to hold its own as a vegetarian meal by itself.
Botanically speaking, the zucchini is actually a fruit and not a vegetable, lending a particular sweetness in smaller fruit less than 10” long. Younger zucchini are perfect for this recipe, as you will need to scoop out the soft seeds to create an area in the fruit to stuff all of your goodies. While this is a great vegetarian recipe, it is also fantastic when ground sausage is added to the filling. Stuff these beauties with anything you like, actually. These Grilled Stuffed Zucchini Boats will be delicious!
Grilled Stuffed Zucchini Boats
Ingredients:
- 3 zucchinis
- 2 cups Italian style Panko bread crumbs
- 2 medium Roma tomatoes (diced)
- ½ cup finely diced Crimini mushrooms
- ½ cup chopped flat leaf Italian parsley
- 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- 3 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 Tbsp. salt
Directions:
- Slice zucchinis lengthwise and scoop out seeds with a spoon, creating zucchini “boats”. Discard seeds. Set aside sliced zucchini.
- In a bowl, combine the bread crumbs, tomatoes, parsley, mushroom, salt and ¾ cup of the Parmesan cheese. Mix thoroughly.
- Brush both sides of zucchini with olive oil.
- Spoon the stuffing mixture into the sliced zucchini. Press in firmly.
- Sprinkle remaining Parmesan cheese on top of stuffing mixture.
- Preheat grill to medium heat (appx. 350°).
- Grill for 15 minutes or until zucchini is tender.
- Slice zucchini in half, serve and ENJOY!
Yield:
12 Grilled Stuffed Zucchini Boats
Keep on grillin!
