Crispy Quinoa Stuffed Zucchini

There's something incredibly satisfying about biting into a Quinoa Stuffed Zucchini. The zucchini shell, the fluffy quinoa filling, and the crispy breadcrumb topping - it's a symphony of textures and flavors. But if you think this dish requires hours in the kitchen, think again. With our Quinoa Stuffed Zucchini recipe, all you need is a handful of ingredients, including nutrient-packed quinoa, and a simple baking process to create a meal that's delicious, healthy, and impressively elegant.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American, Gluten Free, Healthy

Diet Gluten Free, Vegetarian

Keyword quinoa recipes

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 50

Total Time 1 5

Servings

Calories 142kcal

Author Wendy Polisi

Ingredients

4 zucchini about 3 pounds
1 small red onion chopped
3 cloves garlic rinsed
1 cup quinoa rinsed
1 ½ cups tomato juice
¾ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 to mato seeded and chopped
¼ cup basil sliced thin
½ cup gluten free breadcrumbs see note
¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese or 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375. Cut zucchini lengthwise. Cut a thin slice lengthwise on the bottom of each zucchini so they sit flat. (A vegetable peeler works great for this.) With a spoon, scoop out and discard seeds and flesh from zucchini so that you have ¼ inch on all sides. (If you have a larger zucchini you may be able to save the flesh. If you can, feel free to stir it in when you add the tomatoes.)
Spray a baking sheet and arrange the zucchini halves, cut side up. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 15 minutes, until tender. Turn oven to broil.
Meanwhile, spray a saucepan well with oil. Add onion and cook for 8 minutes, until tender. Add garlic and quinoa and cook for 4 more minutes. Add tomato juice, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer. Reduce to low and cover. Cook for 20 minutes. Stir in tomato and diced zucchini and cook covered for another 5 minutes. Allow to sit for 5 minutes. Stir in basil. Transfer mixture to zucchini boats.
Combine breadcrumbs and Parmesan in a small bowl and sprinkle over zucchini boats. Broil for 5 to 6 minutes, until lightly browned.

Notes

To make breadcrumbs, put gluten free bread in your food processor and process until crumbly. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Cook breadcrumbs for 5 minutes and then turn the oven off. Allow to sit for 30 minutes. Process again for finer crumbs. Store leftovers in the freezer.

Nutrition