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Home » Recipes » Dinner

Mediterranean Stuffed Zucchini Boats with Quinoa

By Erin · June 8, 2019 · Updated October 11, 2021 · 8 Comments

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Gluten FreeVegetarian
stuffed zucchini

These Mediterranean Stuffed Zucchini Boats are a vegetarian-friendly and gluten free way to prepare zucchini boats. Plenty of vegetables and protein and a tasty meatless meal. 

stuffed zucchini with quinoa, tomatoes and feta

I’ve been making it my mission to eat more veggies lately, and in that effort I’ve been trying to switch up how I prepare said veggies. These stuffed zucchini boats might be my favorite way to eat zucchini, because you’re not only eating zucchini, but zucchini plus whatever the zucchini is stuffed with in every bite. A serious WIN if you ask me. 

These Mediterranean stuffed zucchini boats are filled with quinoa, vegetables and some cheese, making them gluten free and vegetarian so you’ll feel good eating them. I made these the other week for Miguel and myself, and we were able to eat them two nights in a row with dinner. I treated them as more of a side dish/vegetable vs. a main dish, but you could absolutely have them be the star of your meal. 

Zucchini with the inside scraped out

WHAT ARE ZUCCHINI BOATS?

Zucchini boats are when the flesh of the zucchini has been scooped out and filled with whatever filling you like. This can include anything from ground beef, turkey, quinoa, couscous and anything in between. Once the zucchini is filled, it will resemble a boat, hence the name zucchini boats. 

HOW DO I MAKE ZUCCHINI BOATS?

Zucchini boats are surprisingly simple to prepare, but let me walk you through the main steps. 

First, slice your zucchini length-ways. Remember that one zucchini equals two zucchini boats, so if you want six total, you’ll only need to buy three zucchini (I completely neglected this when I made this recipe and had leftover zucchini, which is also ok). 

Next, use a melon baller or spoon to scoop out the flesh of the zucchini. You can discard it, or save it and use it in your morning smoothie. 

Place the zucchini boats face up in a large baking sheet, then stuff them with your prepared ingredients. Make sure to use cooked filling — this recipe calls for quinoa, but the quinoa has to already be cooked. If you’re using meat, you’ll want to make sure the meat is cooked and prepared before placing it in the zucchini. 

Zucchini boats filled with quinoa, tomatoes and feta cheese

zucchini boats

WHAT “MEDITERRANEAN” INGREDIENTS SHOULD I USE?

Great question! I used the “essentials” in this recipe, but there really is no limit for what you can use. 

  • quinoa
  • tomatoes
  • red onion
  • chickpeas
  • feta cheese
  • other ingredients you can use: olives, fresh parsley, capers

OTHER GREEK/MEDITERRANEAN-INSPIRED RECIPES

  • Classic hummus recipe
  • Mediterranean hummus bowl
  • Garlic salmon salad
stuffed zucchini with quinoa, tomatoes and feta

Mediterranean Stuffed Zucchini Boats with Quinoa

Greek stuffed zucchini boats filled with quinoa, tomatoes and feta for a light, meatless meal.
5 from 2 votes
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Servings: 4
Author: Erin

Ingredients

  • 3 zucchini sliced and seeds removed
  • ¼ cup dry quinoa rinsed
  • ½ cup water
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon dried basil
  • ¼ teaspoon oregano
  • 1 cup grape tomatoes sliced
  • ¼ cup red onion diced
  • ½ cup chickpeas drained and rinsed
  • ¼ cup feta cheese or more
  • 2 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoon olive oil
  • Fresh basil for garnish

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375°.
  • Combine quinoa and water and cook according to package instructions; then, stir in the dried spices (garlic, basil, oregano), along with the tomatoes, onion and chickpeas.
  • While quinoa is cooking, prepare the zucchini and place them face up in a baking dish.
  • Fill zucchini with quinoa mixture, then top it with cheese. Stir lemon juice and olive oil together, then drizzle it over top of the zucchini.
  • Bake zucchini for 30 minutes, or until the zucchini is cooked.
  • Serve with extra olive oil+cheese and enjoy!

Notes

-Can omit cheese to keep this vegan-friendly 
-Also delicious with a little bit of harissa drizzled over top

Nutrition

Calories: 198kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 8mg | Sodium: 123mg | Potassium: 606mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 644IU | Vitamin C: 35mg | Calcium: 91mg | Iron: 2mg
Did you Make this Recipe? Tag me Today!Leave a comment below and tag @thealmondeater on Instagram!

 

« Vegan Jackfruit Pulled Pork Recipe
Stone Fruit Panzanella Salad »

About Erin

Erin is the recipe developer, writer and photographer behind the healthy food blog, The Almond Eater. She's been blogging since 2014 and loves to create food for many different diets, including vegan, gluten free and/or Whole30 recipes.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. MW says

    April 05, 2022 at 1:54 pm

    5 stars
    I make this delicious recipe often - I recommend adding fresh parsley and 1/2 cup of artichoke hearts to the quinoa mixture.

    Reply
    • Erin says

      April 06, 2022 at 8:08 am

      I'm glad this has become a go-to recipe!

      Reply
  2. Line says

    July 03, 2020 at 3:13 am

    Thess look great! Could you please tell me if they can be frozen? and if yes, how much longer do you reckon I should cook them frm frozen? 15 minutes?
    Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
    • Erin says

      July 03, 2020 at 7:16 am

      Hi! I don't recommend freezing these because the zucchini will turn out mushy. You could make the filling in advance and freeze it, and then thaw it before stuffing the zucchini and baking them.

      Reply
  3. Kelsey says

    March 12, 2020 at 10:01 pm

    This is so good!

    Reply
  4. Jennifer Hanes says

    June 24, 2019 at 1:15 am

    This looks so good! I’ve made zucchini boats before, but I honestly can’t remember what I put in them.
    I’ll definitely be trying these

    Reply
  5. Jennifer says

    June 24, 2019 at 1:14 am

    This looks so good! I've made zucchini boats before, but I honestly can't remember what I put in them.
    I'll definitely be trying these

    Reply
  6. Danijela says

    June 11, 2019 at 1:49 am

    This looks so good

    Reply

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