Since relaunching Webicurean last year, my mother has been asking — “have you posted the stuffed zucchini yet?” I’ve been meaning to, honest, but other recipes keep getting in the way. I’m not sure why, though, given these are one of my favorite family treats. With zucchini so plentiful this time of year, now seemed to be a good time to whip ’em up.
For this recipe, we like to work with Greyzini, which are often labeled Mexican Zucchini at the market. Greyzini tend to be shorter, a bit more plump, and just the right shape and size for stuffing. As a bonus, they taste so much better than the standard dark green variety. Once you’ve had Greyzini, there’s no going back.
The process here is pretty simple, and these are always a crowd pleaser–the zucchini are firm and sweet, and the filling is loaded with garlic, herbs, and cheese making them irresistible. They would also work well with the stuffing I used in these heirloom tomatoes. Anyway, I’m cooking up at my mom’s today, and here she is in the kitchen waiting to get these zucchini on the table! This is, after all, her recipe, and I’m so fortunate to have her here cooking with me.
Shall we begin?
Wash and trim the zucchini. Cut them in half lengthwise, then parboil them for about 5 minutes–you want them soft enough to scoop out the pulp, but not so soft that they’re falling part.
After parboiling the zucchini, let them cool. Then scoop out the pulp forming a “boat.” Arrange them on a baking sheet, and sprinkle with salt and pepper, then dribble olive oil over the top.
Add all the filling ingredients to a bowl, and mix well. If you want the filling to be less chunky, you can whirl this in a food processor.
Divide the filling evenly among the zucchini halves, then bake until golden brown.
And if you’re taking pictures outside, be prepared to share with your neighbors!
Enjoy!
Here’s the printable version:
- 7 small-medium sized Greyzini/Mexican Zucchini
- Olive oil
- 3 slices sliced sourdough bread or 5 slices white bread
- ¼ cup chopped parsley
- 2 tsp dried marjoram
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 3 extra large eggs
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Parboil the zucchini--Wash, trim and halve the zucchini lengthwise, then place in boiling salted water. Cook about 5 minutes or until just fork tender, being careful not to overcook. Quickly drain and run under cold water. Cool completely, then scoop out the pulp, allowing it to drain. Chop it up, then set aside.
- Arrange the zucchini halves on a baking sheet lined with foil. Salt and pepper the zucchini, then lightly dribble with olive oil.
- Soak the bread in water just to moisten. Squeeze all the moisture out of the bread, then finely chop.
- In a large bowl, combine the bread, zucchini pulp, the herbs, garlic, cheese, and eggs. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Evenly divide the filling mixture among the zucchini halves.
- Bake about 45 minutes, or until golden. Allow to cool slightly before serving.
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{ 54 comments… read them below or add one }
Oh wow – that looks delicious! I love stuffed zucchini, but have never found a recipe I like. I’ll definitely have to try this one.
I think you’ll like it–of course, I’ve been living on these for years lol
I LOVE stuffed zucchini! I can see why your mom wanted you to post the recipe. I always use dry bread crumbs when I make stuffed zucchini, but next time I’m going to try with real slices of bread. Definitely worth the wait. 🙂
Yah, for some reason, the dry bread crumbs are a little heavier… plus I love sourdough!
Those look really good! The filling looks so creamy and cheesy – especially for no more cheese than it has in it. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that particular type of zucchini in my area, but I’m sure I could use just about any type and this would turn out great.
Often they’re labeled “Mexican Zucchini,” and of course they’re not regularly stocked. BTW you can get a really smooth/creamy filling if you blend it in a food processor instead of by hand. My Aunt Marcie used to make them that way.
I was raised on meat stuffed round type ofzucchini, but they were so watery. The long ones you used here are so great for stuffing and I just love this recipe Anne! Now I can re-create a much better version of a childhood staple! Love that it’s your mom’s recipe too!
I’ve been eating them this way so long, now I’m curious what they would taste like with a little meat … maybe some Italian sausage? You could probably cook some up and toss it right in!
What a lovely recipe! I adore stuffed zucchini, and your version with all wonderful herbs sounds fantastic! I’m so glad you shared this with us… and your Mom is so beautiful- what a sweet smile. Isn’t it such a blessing to be able to cook with our Moms? Thanks again.
Aww thanks! She’s really proud of the blog and loves to tell everyone about it–so I thought I should have her in a post too. After all, she’s the one who taught me to cook, and many of the recipes here are hers.
What a wonderful filling! Now I need someone to drop a bag of zucchinis off on my doorstep 🙂
Thanks, and well, it IS that time of year when folks have zucchini coming out their ears! I’ll think positive zucchini thoughts for you!
This sounds like such a perfect late summer meal. Lord knows I need all the zucchini recipes I can get this time of year!
I can relate–there was a time when I was growing zucchini faster than I could cook them!
You had me fooled – I totally thought that first photo was a plate of Oysters Rockefeller. But wow, this recipe sounds so much better than that. I need to locate some Greyzinis, stat. Great recipe!
LOL I do that ALL the time, and I thought it was just me! I think the Greyzini have so much more flavor–often I simply eat them boiled and tossed with a little olive oil.
Those look fantastic!! I am drooling!! Such a great time of year for zucchini too. This is a keeper of a recipe, thank your mom for sharing!!
Thanks, and she said you’re welcome! She’s so excited about sharing this recipe!
Those zucchini look fabulous. How awesome it is that you can cook with your Mom!!
Thanks! She had a lot of fun doing this!
I don’t think I have ever seen this variety of zucchini – it is the perfect vessel for stuffing! I love the sound of your filling, I would love to try them!
p.s…your mom is just adorable…so many thanks to her (and you) for sharing this recipe with us 🙂
Yah, sometimes they’re hard to find. We have a little Mexican produce market near our house that sells them, but Safeway is often hit or miss (although they have been stocking them more regularly lately) … my mom said she’s happy to share (and she’s been wanting me to for a while lol)
I love the photo of your mom – she looks like someone wonderful to cook with 🙂 And stuffed zucchini is one of my favorite dishes this time of year! Pinning to make these this weekend!!
Yah, we cook together quite a bit–not just holidays–we missed out last year, but we have an annual tradition of making raviolis together too!
What a beautiful mom you have! That’s so awesome to cook with Mama in the kitchen! I am placing these my “MUST HAVE” list. They look amazingly delic!
Thanks! She loves too cook, although it’s getting more difficult for her these days
What a delicious recipe! Of course I have zucchini growing like crazy, so I can’t wait to try this recipe.
This is the perfect way to use up those zucchini! My mom also likes them fried–cut thin slices lengthwise, dip in egg wash, then flour, then pan fry w/S&P. I could eat those all day, every day!
That looks amazing!!! And I so love that you are cooking with your mom. I haven’t lived near my mom since 1991, when I left home for the army. I have great memories of my mom and grandmothers in the kitchen for the holidays. I miss that.
My mom was really touched by your comment–we’ve been fortunate in that we’re only an hour or so apart. Cherish those memories–holidays especially are some of the best times, eh?
Now you have me on the hunt for Greyzini zucchini so I can make this recipe. What a gorgeous platter of goodness!! How great that you got to make them with your mom. Or did she do all the work while you took photos? Either way, the experience is something to treasure and I also try to cook with my mom as much as I can. There’s nothing better than preserving family recipes for generations to come.
Ha! Normally she would have been doing all the work while I take pictures! Unfortunately, last year she broke her hip, so she can’t stand for long periods of time anymore. She did, however, stand there long enough to stuff all the zucchini shells–and I think she really enjoyed doing that part!
Oh, my those Italian Stuffed Zucchini look fantastic!!! I will have to make those soon. Thank you so much for sharing!
Thanks! They are pretty darn good, if I do say so myself… of course, I was practically raised on them lol
Such a sweet post and so precious!I love zuchini and this seems like a great recipe and a must try for sure!!Your mom is adorable 🙂
Thanks! This is one of my favorite zucchini recipes — my favorite being my mom’s pan fried zucchini, which I’ll have to post soon!
Anne,
I loved this post. The recipe looks divine, but NOTHING beats the beautiful smile on your mom’s face.
Thanks, Betsy, she really had fun with this whole process!
This recipe looks fantastic. I can not wait to try it. I have a feeling that my kids are going to love this one.
I only have one question… can I come and cook with you mom? Something tells me her recipes are out of this world!
LOL she said you can cook with her any time–so long as you do the heavy lifting! We could definitely use an extra set of hands when we make the raviolis! 😉
Great looking recipe. This would be so good with a glass of Rosé, or maybe a slightly chilled Dolcetto!
Dolcetto–I had to look it up–and now I need to try it! Thanks for the recommendations–wine pairing is such a mystery to me (although I suppose it shouldn’t be)
Gorgeous mom, gorgeous zucchini. And now I need to look for Greyzini (and they are now on my to-grow list for next spring veggie garden planting. Thank you, Webicurean family! (I like to tinker…maybe some toasted pine nuts on top?)
Pine nuts–now why didn’t I think of that?! I’ll bet they’d be a great addition. The greyzini are easy to grow, just like regular zucchini–that’s all our family had in the garden. They’re best when smaller, but our neighbor used to let them grow BIG. We’re talking over a foot long. Fun, but I think they lose some of that good flavor!
This is a keeper recipe! I believe you’ve inherited your mother’s superb baking/ cooking skills =)
We are quite the team in the kitchen!
Those are so beautiful, Anne! I love the colors and the flavors but especially that you have your mother there cooking with you. What a sweet blessing that is!
A great recipe I can’t wait to try out. I love Zucchini and those adventurous enough to use it! I wish more would.
I came up with my own version of a Stuffed Zucchini with an Arab twist. While different from your own, I think its a unique take on the dish. I’m new to the Food Blog scene and would love some feedback from a pro like you. Check out my recipe if have time.
http://persnicketypanhandler.blogspot.com/2012/09/kousa-sahel.html
I don’t know that I’m a pro but thanks! Your recipe looks delicious–I’ve bookmarked it to try later. One day I’ll have my own zucchini garden again, and then I’ll really be cranking out the recipes!
Great seeing a recipe for this old favorite. In Chile, where I grew up, they were known as “zapallitos italianos rellenos” (stuffed little Italian squash). As in this recipe, fresh breadcrumbs were used, which made for a moister stuffing, and allowed the zucchini flavor to come through. The Italian community in my part of Chile was mostly from Genoa.
Hi Veronica–these are definitely one of my favorite treats! I’ll bet they’re really delicious with fresh bread crumbs–I’m just a little lazy about stuff like that sometimes 🙂
Wow, this is pretty good recipe for Zucchini. I guess, I already had an idea for breakfast 🙂
This is the ORIGINAL recipe my family used. Only zucchini, egg, cheese, bread, a little finely chopped onion. They were fantastic at family picnics, because they’re good cold or warm. I lost my Grandmother’s recipe and have been looking for ages. Thanks. (We are Piedmontese)
So glad to hear this! These definitely work well whether served warm or cold. We often had these as an appetizer at family BBQs!
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