How to stuff round zucchini

Round zucchinis are just adorable; they practically beg to be served whole, like a little cauldron on your plate!

That’s the beauty of stuffed round zucchinis: a natural, edible container. Isn’t it fantastic? You might be thinking of stuffed tomatoes. Sure, they’re great, but it’s not the same. A cooked stuffed tomato pairs well with a compact filling, while the sturdier round zucchini allows for a wider variety of fillings, including even liquid ones.

The method

Wash the zucchinis, cut off a large enough top, and scoop out the flesh with a small spoon, leaving about 8 mm of thickness. Hollow out the top as well.

You’ll end up with hollowed-out zucchinis and zucchini flesh. If the flesh is seed-free, it can be added to your filling—just sauté it in a bit of olive oil with a pinch of salt to evaporate the excess moisture.

6 tips for perfect stuffed round zucchinis

Stuffed zucchinis aren’t complicated, but here are some tips to make them truly perfect:

1. Don’t pre-cook them: we want the zucchinis to hold their shape, with slightly undercooked walls for texture—and it’s less work!
2. Sprinkle semolina inside: this helps absorb any excess moisture from the filling.
3. Fill generously: make sure the filling overflows a bit—it’s all about abundance!
4. Hollow out the top: This helps it stay in place if you decide to place it back on the zucchini.
5. Cook the top separately: bake it alongside the zucchinis in the oven, so it’s ready to be used as a decorative touch on the plate.
6. Eat everything: enjoy the filling, the zucchini, and even the skin.

What filling to use for your zucchinis?

Start by using the scooped-out zucchini flesh. Cook it in a pan to remove excess water. Concentrated like this, zucchini flesh has a surprisingly intense flavor—we’ll revisit this when zucchini season is in full swing in the garden.

Beyond this, you can add whatever you like. The idea is to create a filling with what you have on hand. Even if it doesn’t seem very appetizing on its own, it will be hidden inside the zucchini, and the result will look fantastic. Tailor your filling to your tastes, fridge contents, and dietary preferences:

For a vegan stuffed zucchini

Use onions, garlic, lentils, rice, or other grains, and voilà—you’ve got a vegan stuffed zucchini.

For meat lovers

Along with the vegetables, add ground beef, veal, lamb, leftover meat, sausages, ham, bacon, or chorizo.

Seafood flavors

Use fresh fish, smoked salmon, canned tuna or sardines, or shrimp.

For the gourmands

In addition to vegetables and/or meat, add cream and/or any type of cheese (leftover fridge cheese works great). You could even create a fully cheese-stuffed zucchini, with just the zucchini flesh to lighten it up.

For something surprising

Try baking an egg inside a round zucchini—the zucchini serves as a perfect ramekin, and it looks fantastic! For this, pre-cook the hollowed zucchinis in boiling water for a few minutes. Then add a tablespoon of cream, one or two eggs depending on the zucchini size, salt, pepper, and bake for about 20 minutes.