Vegan Stuffed Zucchini Boats

What Are Vegan Stuffed Zucchini Boats?

Vegan stuffed zucchini boats are baked halves of zucchini stuffed with a juicy plant-based protein cooked in tomato sauce.

The most common zucchini stuffing use lentils, taco meat, or black beans cooked in tomato sauce with taco seasoning and vegetables.

How To Make Vegan Stuffed Zucchini

It’s straightforward to make stuffed zucchini.

Ingredients

All you need are a few simple ingredients and good preparation of your zucchini halves to avoid a runny dish.

First, gather all the ingredients for your stuffed zucchini boats.

• Zucchinis – I love to use fresh, organic zucchinis.
• Black beans – I used canned black beans. One can of 15 oz makes 1 1/4 cups of cooked black beans. Rinse and drain the black bean before cooking. You can also use 1 1/4 cups of cooked black beans from raw black beans.
• Corn kernel – fresh, frozen, or canned.
• Olive oil – I prefer using locally-sourced extra-virgin olive oil.
• Red bell pepper – or any color of bell pepper you love.
• Red onion – you can alternatively use yellow onions.
• Garlic powder – or fresh, crushed garlic.
• Spices – Oregano, Paprika, Cumin, Chili Powder
• Tomato Passata and Tomato Paste
• Vegetable Broth
• Salt and Pepper

Choosing A Pan

Before you start, make sure you select a baking tray that fits the length of your zucchinis. I used a 9-inch x 13-inch baking tray, and I can fit 8 medium-sized zucchini halves on it.

Cover the baking tray with parchment paper and lightly oil the paper with olive oil to prevent the zucchini from sticking to the paper. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C) and starts preparing the zucchinis as per below.

Cutting The Zucchinis

First, wash, and cut the zucchinis halfway lengthwise. Keep the skin on, and don’t trim the zucchini ends to encase the zucchini is filling properly.

Next, use a teaspoon to scoop out the flesh from the center of the zucchinis. Don’t go too deep to avoid breaking the zucchinis boats.

Finally, place the zucchini boats onto a large baking tray, with the zucchini flesh facing up. 

Then, sprinkle salt all over the zucchinis and set them aside for 20 minutes to let the zucchinis sweat.

Meanwhile, cook the black bean filling.

Cooking The Filling

In a non-stick frying pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Then, stir fry diced red onion and red bell pepper until soft and fragrant.

Then, stir in cooked black beans, corn kernel, and spices and keep cooking for 2 to 3 minutes.

Finally, stir in tomato paste, tomato passata, and vegetable broth.

Reduce to medium heat and cook for 8 to 10 minutes until the mixture is thicker and flavorsome.

Adjust with salt and pepper to taste.

Assembling The Zucchini Boats

Now that the zucchinis boats have been in contact with salt for 20 minutes, you should spot some water all over their surface.

So use absorbent kitchen paper to pat dry the zucchini boats and remove the excess water.

Finally, use a spoon to fill each zucchini with the cooked black beans.

Baking The Zucchinis

Cover the baking sheet with a piece of foil and bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until the zucchinis are tender.