Mediterranean Style Stuffed Zucchini

This Mediterranean Style Stuffed Zucchini recipe will give you a big reason to add this versatile, delicious and plentiful vegetable to your shopping list - or garden!

We don't have a vegetable garden now, nor do any of the neighbors. Quite sadly now, I have to purchase my zucchini at the market. But nevertheless, they're abundant, very reasonable and they find their way into my cart all summer long.

If you're one of those blessed souls who's overflowing with zucchini right now, you're going to LOVE this Mediterranean Style Stuffed Zucchini recipe. If you're like me and don't have a garden, be sure to put zucchini on your market list. It's a tasty meal-in-one, loaded with lots of fresh summer veggies. It can be made ahead and popped in the oven just before serving.... and a warm, crusty baguette rounds the meal out nicely.

Although these  would make a healthy, light dinner for busy weeknights, they can also be dressed up quite elegantly for delicious company fare. Don't you love a meal that you can make early in the day and stash in the fridge until just before the guest's arrive? A twenty minute stint in the oven and you'll be saying, (with a smile) "Dinner is served".

I used my favorite chicken sausage, (I love the Sun Dried Tomato Chicken Sausage with Basil and Tomatoes from Trader Joe's.) but any type of sausage would be great. This Mediterranean Style Stuffed Zucchini recipe includes dried and fresh herbs, both of which add wonderful flavor. It's funny.... to me, the dried and fresh versions of herbs are almost like apples and oranges, so unique on their own, each adding a totally different element to the finished dish.

I have a feeling that, even if you're drowning in zucchini right now, you might just be wishing you had more once you take a taste of these Mediterranean Style Stuffed Zucchini. But if that's not the case, well just send your surplus over my way, I have a zillion more ideas of how to use them!

5 from 1 vote

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Mediterranean Style Stuffed Zucchini

This Mediterranean Style Stuffed Zucchini recipe will give you a big reason to add this versatile, delicious and plentiful vegetable to your shopping list - or garden!

Author: Chris Scheuer

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mediterranean

Prep Time: 40 mins

Cook Time: 20 mins

Total Time: 1 hr

Servings: 4

Calories: 428 kcal

Ingredients

• 5 medium size zucchini not too thin
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic finely minced
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• zest of 1 lemon
• ½ medium bell pepper
• ½ medium onion
• 2 ears fresh corn kernels cut from cobs
• 2 links fully cooked chicken sausage*, halved lengthwise and sliced into thin slices
• 1 cup crumbled Feta cheese
• fresh oregano
• fresh parsley
• extra virgin olive oil for drizzling

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

1. Slice 4 of the zucchini in half lengthwise. If they don't lay flat just slice a tiny bit off of the bottom to even them out.
2. With a spoon, scoop out the insides of the zucchini, leaving a ¼ inch rim. Rub zucchini all over with olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt. Place on a lightly oiled sheet pan and set aside.
3. Preheat oven to 350˚F.
4. Dice the 5th zucchini into a ¼ inch dice.
5. Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Add garlic and dried herbs and stir for about 30 seconds or until fragrant. Add sausage, onions, diced zucchini, diced peppers and corn. Cook for 4-5 minutes until lightly sautéed. Remove from heat and allow to cool for about 10 minutes.
6. Add Feta cheese and lemon zest to veggie/sausage mixture in pan. Stir gently to combine.
7. Fill zucchini "boats" with veggie/sausage mixture. Mound up filling and gently press to keep it in place**.
8. Place in oven and bake for 20 minutes until veggies are crisp-tender and cheese is be soft and melty.
9. Remove from oven and garnish with chopped flat leaf parsley and fresh oregano leaves. Drizzle lightly with extra virgin olive oil. I like to serve these stuffed zucchini with warm, crusty bread and an assortment of Kalamata olives.

10. If making ahead, prepare through step 7, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Remove from refrigerator 20 minutes before baking then proceed with steps 8 and 9.

Recipe Notes

* ~ I love Trader Joe's  Sun Dried Tomato Chicken Sausage with Basil and Tomatoes but any type of fully cooked sausage will work. ** ~ If your zucchini are small, like mine were, you may have a bit of filling left over. It makes a wonderful omelet or quesadilla filling too!

Calories 428kcal

Fat 31g

Saturated fat 11g

Cholesterol 74mg

Sodium 806mg

Potassium 984mg

Carbohydrates 20g

Fiber 4g

Sugar 11g

Protein 18g

Vitamin A 1240%

Vitamin C 68.1%

Calcium 250%

Iron 2.5%