Lately I have been in the cooking mood, and I took this opportunity to try another new recipe- Mexican Zucchini Boats. These were tasty, and a total hit with my family. They are extremely easy to prepare and are totally healthy. They are meat-free and gluten-free too!
So, first thing you need to get this recipe started obviously are the ZUCCHINI! Preparing the boats will include slicing them vertically down the middle, into two equal halves. Next, you’re going to want to carve out the centers so that you will be able to fit in all the yummy, Mexican filling. The way I did this was using a metal teaspoon. I literally just scooped out the center, and found the metal teaspoon to be the perfect tool to do so (you really don’t need anything fancy).
So, this is what your zucchini should look like after you’re done carving out the centers. You can really see now how they are going to look like little boats. The next step with be coating them with a thin layer of oil using a pastry brush (I used grape seed oil to do this).
At this point you can set your prepared zucchini aside and start to make the Mexican filling!
The vegetarian filling for these zucchini boats are very simple. All I used to prepare this was corn, onions, bell peppers, and black beans. Of course, you can spice this up and use whatever veggies (or even some ground meat) to customize this dish to what suits your taste buds
The peppers and onions were first cooked together on the stove with a little grape seed oil. Next add in all the other veggies, some salsa, and chili powder, and cook it all together.
Once this is all prepared you can load up the zucchini boats with this delicious filling, and pop them in the oven to cook. You can also, at this point, grade some cheese over these zucchini boats (optional).
So, you can really see how easy this recipe is, and it is super tasty as well. Here below, I have included the full ingredient list and detailed recipe for you all to enjoy!!
Ingredients:
- 3 large zucchinis
- 1 can of black beans (cleaned and drained)
- 1 cup of your favourite salsa
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1/2 cup of sweet onion
- 1 can of corn kernels
- 1 1/2 tbsp grape seed oil (1 tbsp for the pan, and 1/2 tbsp to spread on the zucchini)
- 1 tbsp of chili powder
- salt to taste
- shredded cheese of your preference
Directions:
- Grease a casserole dish (I used coconut oil PAM) and set aside for later use, and preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Next vertically slice the zucchini in half, and hollow out their centers using a metal teaspoon. Lightly brush the zucchini with the 1/2 tbsp of grape seed oil, and place them hollows up on the casserole dish.
- Next add the 1 tbsp of grape seed oil to a large skillet on medium heat. Add in the onion and peppers, cooking them for 2-3 minutes. Next add the beans, corn, salsa, and chili powder. Cook for 5 minutes with occasional stirring.
- Remove the skillet from the heat. Spoon the filling into the prepared zucchini boats, so that they are completely full. At this point, sprinkle on the shredded cheese (optional).
- Cover the casserole dish with foil, and bake in the oven for 25 minutes. After baking, remove the foil and set oven to broil. Cook them on broil for another 5 minutes, until the cheese in golden.
- Cool for 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
So, there you have it! So easy! I made some extra Mexican filling that tasted awesome with some tortilla chips. I also paired this dish up with a simple, BBQ chicken. Let me know what you guys think!
XOXO,
Pink and Premed