Italian Rice Stuffed Zucchini is the perfect late summer dinner or side dish. It's packed with fresh veggies and whole grains.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
You're going to want to make this recipe on repeat! It's a great way to use those end of summer garden zucchini. Italian-inspired brown rice is packed with fresh summer produce, then stuffed into hollowed out zucchini. It's a healthy vegetarian meal or side dish.
Zucchini boats are easy to make and can be customized to your own liking. You can even add a protein like ground beef or turkey to make it into a well-rounded meal.
You can make it all year round, however summer is the best time when zucchini is abundant and all the vegetables are in season. If you're looking for more summer recipes, I've got plenty for you to choose from!
Ingredients
- Zucchini: A few medium zucchini.
- Brown Rice: Cooked brown rice. You could substitute white rice or your preferred type of rice.
- Olive Oil: To sauté the veggies.
- Garlic: Minced garlic, for flavor.
- Onion and Pepper: Diced yellow onion and red bell pepper. You could substitute the red bell pepper for yellow or orange.
- Cherry Tomatoes: Fresh cherry tomatoes, diced.
- Fresh Herbs: Finely chopped fresh parsley and basil. You could use dried herbs here, but fresh will make this taste infinitely better.
- Marinara: 1 ¼ cups of marinara sauce. I like Rao's Marinara, however you can use your preferred brand or homemade.
- Cheese: Grated parmesan cheese to mix into the rice filling and shredded mozzarella to sprinkle over the top.
*The full ingredient list with amounts is in the recipe card below.
Step-By-Step Instructions
These rice stuffed zucchini boats are easy to make in just a few simple steps.
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Lightly spray a medium casserole dish with olive oil. Spread 1 cup of marinara on the bottom. Set aside.
- Trim off the stem ends of the zucchini. Using a spoon, scoop out the flesh of the zucchini, leaving about ½" rim to create "boats". Place in the casserole dish, and lightly spray the tops with olive oil. Set aside.
- Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-low heat. Add the diced onions and peppers, and cook stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent and peppers are softened, about 3-4 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook another 30 seconds until fragrant. Stir in the diced cherry tomatoes, parsley, and basil. Cook, stirring occasionally until tomatoes are softened, about 3-4 minutes.
- Stir in the brown rice and parmesan cheese until combined. Remove from heat. Taste and season with salt and pepper, as needed.
- Spoon the mixture into the zucchini boats. Drizzle the remaining sauce over the stuffed zucchinis. Bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Top each zucchini with 1 tablespoon of mozzarella cheese. Bake for 5 more minutes, until the cheese is melted.
- Serve and enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Select a casserole dish based on the size of your zucchini. You want to make sure they fit! I used an 11 x 7-inch dish. If you have large zucchini or are doubling the recipe, you could use a 13 x 9-inch baking dish.
- To prep this meal ahead of time, assemble the stuffed zucchini, then refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 24 hours. Bake just before serving.
- Don't overcook the zucchini. You want them to be slightly crisp and not mushy.
- To store: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Variations
- Swap out the rice for a different grain, like quinoa.
- Add a protein. If you like meat, you can add ground beef, ground turkey, or sausage. If you prefer beans, you can add chickpeas or another white bean.
- Make it vegan. Just leave out the cheese or use a plant-based cheese substitute!
Serving Suggestions
I love to serve Italian Rice Stuffed Zucchini as a main dish with a side salad for dinner. Other sides for zucchini boats are corn on the cob, garlic toast, or mac and cheese.
If you want to serve these as a side dish, they go well with burgers, steak tips, grilled chicken or fish.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's)
Though you can typically find zucchini in most grocery stores year-round, they are at their peak season during the summer.
Larger zucchini tend to be more watery, bitter and have tough skins, so select medium or even small zucchini depending on your recipe. Be sure they are smooth, have a vibrant color, and are firm.
More Easy Zucchini Recipes
If you like this zucchini recipe, then you'll love these other easy zucchini recipes.
- Zucchini and Squash Bake
- Turkey Meatloaf with Zucchini
- Zucchini Muffins
- Baked Zucchini Chips with Sriracha Aioli
- Chicken Sausage Veggie Skillet
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Print
Italian Rice Stuffed Zucchini
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 32 minutes
- Total Time: 42 minutes
- Yield: 2-4 servings 1x
- Category: Main Dishes
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American / Italian
Description
Italian Rice Stuffed Zucchini is the perfect late summer dinner or side dish. It's packed with fresh veggies and whole grains.
Ingredients
- 2 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons chopped yellow onion
- ¼ cup diced red bell pepper
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ cup diced cherry tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
- 1 ½ cups cooked brown rice
- 1 tablespoon parmesan cheese
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 4 tablespoons mozzarella cheese
- 1 ¼ cup marinara, divided
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Lightly spray a medium casserole dish with olive oil. Spread 1 cup of marinara on the bottom. Set aside.
- Trim off the stem ends of the zucchini. Using a spoon, scoop out the flesh of the zucchini, leaving about ½" rim to create "boats". Place in the casserole dish, and lightly spray the tops with olive oil. Set aside.
- Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-low heat. Add the diced onions and peppers, and cook stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent and peppers are softened, about 3-4 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook another 30 seconds until fragrant. Stir in the diced cherry tomatoes, parsley, and basil. Cook, stirring occasionally until tomatoes are softened, about 3-4 minutes.
- Stir in the brown rice and parmesan cheese until combined. Remove from heat. Taste and season with salt and pepper, as needed.
- Spoon the mixture into the zucchini boats. Drizzle the remaining sauce over the stuffed zucchinis. Bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Top each zucchini with 1 tablespoon of mozzarella cheese. Bake for 5 more minutes, until the cheese is melted.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Select a casserole dish sized based on how big your zucchini are. You want to make sure they fit! I used an 11 x 7-inch dish. If you have large zucchini you could us 13 x 9-inch baking dish.
To store: refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Nutritional values (per serving) are approximates only.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ½ zucchini
- Calories: 198
- Sugar: 9.3 g
- Sodium: 533.3 mg
- Fat: 5.3 g
- Saturated Fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 31.1 g
- Fiber: 5.1 g
- Protein: 7.9 g
- Cholesterol: 4.3 mg
Keywords: zucchini, zucchini boats, side dish, main dish, summer recipe, rice
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