Moroccan Stuffed Zucchini
I don’t know what it is about stuffed vegetables, but they just seem fancy! A green pepper is nice, but stuff it with black beans, rice, and chicken and you have a pretty to look at meal in a nice green bowl! Butternut squash is darn good on its own, but fill it with chicken and feta and you have a visually beautiful meal that is on another level.
Today, I wanted to try something new with one of my favorite summer veggies- Zucchini squash. I LOVE zucchini because you can do so much with it. Shred it and put it into super moist bread or slice it up and saute it with onions for an easy side dish…but today, I wanted it to really be the star of the plate, so I decided to stuff it!
This recipe is super easy, but it looks like you spent all kinds of time making it. Its a perfect all-in-one meal…carbs, protein and veggies all in one nice little package.
Moroccan Stuffed Zucchini
Serves 4
4 large zucchini, washed and cut in half long ways
2 cloves of garlic, diced
1 medium onion, diced
3 pitted dates, diced
2 teaspoons sun dried tomatoes, diced
1 teaspoon capers
1 teaspoon fresh basil (or 1/2 t dried)
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 Cup whole wheat cous cous
1 Cup water
1 chicken breast, diced (I used grilled chicken left over from yesterday)
1/4 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Cut your zucchini in half, long ways and then use a spoon to dig out the seeds, creating a nice well in the middle.
Place the zucchini on a baking sheet, spray with cooking spray or drizzle with olive oil and then sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Put the zucchini in the oven to bake for about 25 minutes.
While the zucchini is roasting, dice your onion and garlic and saute them in a medium sized pot, drizzled with olive oil, over medium heat until they start to soften.
When the onions and garlic have softened, add the dates, sundried tomato, capers, basil and oregano and allow them to soften as well (about 1 minute). Next, add the couscous and red pepper flakes and the other 1/2 teaspoon of salt and allow the couscous to lightly toast (about one minute).
Next, add the water and cover. Allow this to cook for about 4 minutes…until the couscous has absorbed all of the water. Add the chicken and mix well.
When the zucchini is finished roasting, remove it and turn the oven up to broil. Gently fill each zucchini shell with the couscous mixture and then sprinkle it with parmesan cheese.
Place the filled zucchinis back into the oven for 2 to 3 minutes…until the cheese starts to turn golden brown.
Serve 1 full zucchini (2 stuffed halves) per person.
