Mom taught me to celebrate seasonal ingredients, and right now our garden is overflowing with zucchini. I’ll take it fried or frittered, baked or braised, but my favorite method is stuffed. Stuffed zucchini is a beautiful and filling main attraction at the dinner table, and perfect to make ahead and serve at room temperature. Ideal for summer cooking!

I served this particular dish last night with a nice loaf of Italian bread and a simple salad of sliced tomatoes, torn basil leaves and red onion tossed with extra-virgin olive oil and pomegranate vinegar. There were no complaints from the dinner table!

Zucchini Stuffed with Ricotta and Herbs
From Jack Bishop’s The Complete Italian Vegetarian Cookbook

- serves 4 -

Ingredients
4 medium zucchini, scrubbed
Salt
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, minced
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
1 cup ricotta cheese
¼ cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese
2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme or oregano leaves
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons plain bread crumbs

Procedure
1. Bring several quarts water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add the zucchini and salt to taste and simmer until the zucchini offer just a little resistance when pierced, about 6 minutes. Drain the zucchini and cool to room temperature. When cooled, trim the ends and the slice the zucchini in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds and some of the flesh, taking care not to puncture the skin. The hollowed out zucchini should still be about ½ inch thick in most places.

2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a skillet. Add the onion and sauté over medium heat about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until golden, another 2 minutes.

3. Scrape the onion mixture into a large bowl. Stir in the ricotta and Pecorino cheeses, thyme or oregano, egg and salt and pepper to taste. Divide the filling among the hollowed out zucchini.

4. Use the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil to lightly grease a baking dish large enough to hold the zucchini in a single layer. Arrange the zucchini in the dish and sprinkle the bread crumbs over the filling.

5. Bake until the filing is golden, about 45 to 50 minutes.

Serve hot or warm or cover and keep at room temperature for several hours.

Have a stuffed vegetable recipe to share? Tips for tweaking this recipe? Click add new comment below or send me an e-mail.