Sometimes when I post a recipe during the summer months that requires baking in an oven, I get all sorts of, "I'll make this when summer is over and I can use the oven again" comments. This was the first time I realized that there are a lot of people who object to using their oven when it's hot outside. So if you are one of those people, well, you might be able to grill these. (I'll leave it to you to figure out how.)
For me, I can't imagine not using my oven for any length of time. Even when we lived in a closet-sized apartment with no a/c and an ancient oven that got almost as hot on the outside as it did on the inside, I used my oven during the summer. No amount of discomfort is going to keep me from baking things! And some of my favorite summer foods are made in the oven--slow-roasted tomatoes, stuffed zucchini, and fruit leather made with fresh fruit.
I've posted a stuffed zucchini recipe here before, but the stuffing in that recipe is made of onions, zucchini, artichokes, and sun-dried tomatoes. This Taco Stuffed Zucchini is closer to the kind of stuffed zucchini I grew up on as a kid. My mom would make it with ground beef and lots and lots of cheese. We used to harvest insane amounts of zucchini from our little backyard garden, so stuffed zucchini and zucchini bread were both summertime staples at our house.
Well, obviously, my stuffed zucchini doesn't have ground beef in it--I used tempeh instead. If you haven't used tempeh before, this is a good recipe to start with! You might want to take a look at my post on how to use tempeh. The great thing about tempeh is that it crumbles up to make a perfect substitute for ground beef and it takes on the flavor of whatever you add to it. My mom's recipe didn't add much of anything to the meat, but since I'm not crazy about the flavor of tempeh on its own, I added taco seasonings, with a healthy dose of cayenne to make my stuffed zucchini spicy. I used cheese both in and on the filling, and I threw in some corn because it's summer and I kind of have to throw corn in everything. (What can I say? I love corn.)
Taco Stuffed Zucchini? Totally worth turning your oven on for this summer.
This post originally published June 24, 2013
Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 large zucchini
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tbsp. chili powder
- 1 tbsp. onion powder
- 2 tsp. ground cumin
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
- 1 tsp. smoked paprika
- ½ tsp. cayenne or less if you prefer your filling milder
- 1 8-ounce package tempeh, crumbled
- 1 ear corn kernels removed (or ½ cup frozen corn)
- 2 jalapeño peppers seeded and diced
- 1 large tomato diced
- ¼ c. vegetable broth
- ¾ c. Monterey Jack or Mexican blend cheese divided
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Cilantro lime wedges, sour cream, crumbled tortilla chips, hot sauce, and other taco fixins for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400ºF.
- Slice each zucchini in half lengthwise, then scoop out the insides. Discard the insides or use them for something else. (I'm not sure what you can use zucchini insides for, but you're clever and I'm sure you'll figure something out. I compost mine.)
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and spices (chili powder through cayenne). Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute, stirring often. Stir in the tempeh, corn, and jalapeños and cook until they're beginning to brown, 3-5 minutes, continuing to stir often. Add the tomatoes and broth to the skillet and cook until the liquid has absorbed, about 2 minutes more. Stir in ½ cup of cheese and season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Fill each zucchini half with the tempeh mixture, then top with the remaining cheese. Transfer zucchini to a baking dish or sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the tops are browned. Serve with cilantro, lime wedges, and other taco-y things.
McKel Hill, MS, RD, LDN | Nutrition Stripped says
I LOVE this idea! Any vegetable that serves as a "boat" is an A+ in my book haha. Thanks for sharing your creations!
Erin Renee says
If you're afraid of using the oven in the summer you should just get a toaster oven. Since it's smaller it creates less heat and it works just as well. You just might have to cook your zucchini in shifts, depending on the size of it.
Kiersten says
That's a great idea--thank you!
Colleen says
I also roast veggies most of my veggies ahead of time, either at night when it is cooler or right before we go out for the day. I would roast the boats the night before, then just cook the filling on the stove and just melt the cheese on the broiler before serving.
Honey, What's Cooking says
ooooh my, that looks heavenly. So healthy and heavenly at the same time. Very cool idea.
Alicia says
Made this tonight: a super easy and tasty recipe! Had a lot of the tempeh mixture left over (perhaps I bought small zucchinis), so I just added some black beans, frozen spinach, and cilantro to make a simple side dish. Thanks!
Kiersten says
Yay, I'm glad it was a hit! Thanks for your comment. 🙂
Lisa @ Greek Vegetarian says
These are great Kiersten! A lot like the Greek version "papoutsakia" which literally translates as "little shoes"... because these things look like little shoes apparently... I love all the flavours and spices in your recipe.
Kiersten says
I'll have to try the Greek version while zucchini is in season. It's so cheap right now!
Scotia48 says
This sounds like a really good recipe....except for the tempeh. When my zucchini comes in, I will probably use shredded carrot and thinly sliced green bell pepper as a substitute for the tempeh as I do not like a meat substitute. Do you have any other substitutes to use maybe? Pretty please with sugar on it???
Kiersten says
You could use lentils or black beans if you don't like tempeh.
Richa says
Now this is a fantastic idea!
Kiran @ KiranTarun.com says
Yummy idea for a zuc boat!! Though I have to first like tempeh 😉
Kiersten says
So many people pinned this recipe and said, "I'd use ground beef in this." Ha!
Anna (Hidden Ponies) says
This sounds absolutely amazing! My zucchini is starting to gain momentum in the garden, I can't wait to stuff some. I can never go more than a day without turning on my oven, no matter what the temperature.
Kiersten says
I think I use my oven almost daily too. Much more than the stove or microwave.
Marie @ Not Enough Cinnamon.com says
I love stuffed zucchini or any stuffed veggies for that matter. Making a taco stuffed zucchini is a brilliant idea! You save *a lot* on the carbs, and it's always a good thing 😉 (at least for me!)
Kiersten says
It's funny, I didn't even think about the carb aspect of the recipe until I saw people mentioning it on Pinterest. 🙂
Katie says
So, when I clicked ont his recipe I just knew it would be made with lentils and nope!! I think the tempeh is a great idea and I bet you'd still get a great taco taste with lentils, some veggies and taco seasoning (to cheat a little)! I'll have to try this recipe!
Thanks!
Kiersten says
I think lentils would work fine! When I use them as a ground beef sub, I undercook them ever-so-slightly, then pulse them in my food processor. It gives them a bit of that ground beef texture.
Genevieve says
I'm one of those people who will eat ice cream all year long, and use the oven all year long too! Plus, I don't have my own BBQ so I wouldn't want to rule out the oven as a cooking method just because it's hot out. Love your idea for stuffed zucchini - stuffed veggies is one thing I've never made myself!
Kiersten says
Oh yes, I definitely eat ice cream year-round too! 😀
Marlies says
Oh man, these are amazing! I added some chipotle chili powder to the spice mix and loved it. What a great recipe 🙂
Kiersten says
I thought about adding chipotle to mine too--glad to hear that worked! 🙂
Jennie @themessybakerblog says
As much as I'd like not turning on my oven during the hot, hot summer, the fact is, I could never do it. I like cookies too much, and you can't grill those. I love these taco-themed stuffed zucchini. Yum!
Kiersten says
Well, I bet some intrepid blogger has tried grilling cookies, but yes, I agree--going an entire season without cookies would be a sad, sad thing!
Brenda Williams says
I have been sharing your recipes on Facebook when they show up and this one was a hit! I love this idea! YUMMY!
Carmen says
I made this dish last night and left out the cheese because I'm not a fan. This dish is SENSATIONAL. Thanks for the recipe - we love anything with roasted zucchini.
Kiersten says
Thank you for your comment--I'm glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Robyn Rosenkrantz says
Really good! Do you pre cook the empty zucchini? Mine took an hour to cook...
I'm going to use the extra zucchini pulp like mashed potatoes! I'll steam and add soymilk, salt and pepper and vegan butter : )
Kiersten says
No, I don't precook the zucchini. I prefer the zucchini to be firm, but if you want it to be softer, it could definitely add onto the cooking time. Glad you enjoyed the recipe! 🙂
Robyn Rosenkrantz says
p.s. I used soy cheese, it was great!
istuke says
Our neighbor gave us several little yellow summer squash. They were calling me to be filled! I made this recipe, but for the meat eaters in my family, I used part lean ground beef and part mushrooms (chopped in the food processor to about the size of cooked ground beef) instead of the tempeh. We're almost to the point I could substitute all mushroom, but they aren't quite there, yet.
Everyone loved them - includimg 2 elementary-aged boys!
Kiersten says
Yay, I'm glad to hear it was a hit! I love using mushrooms as a substitute for ground beef too. 🙂
Monica says
YUM. Just made these for dinner and they're awesome. I think I may even be able to get my carnivore boyfriend to eat them!
Kiersten says
Woo hoo! When you can get a carnivore to eat tempeh, you know it's a winner. 🙂 Thanks for your comment!
Nisha says
I totally just made this.. except what I did was I used 6 zucchinis (tripled the rest of the ingred). I just sauteed the zucchinis in their own pan and then added them to the cooked tempeh/spice mixture. I assembled with lettuce, onions, tomatoes, guacamole, and cheese in a tortilla. YUM!
Kiersten Frase says
I love your twist on the recipe! I think that would be awesome served over a bowl of rice too.
Shelley says
Made these last night and they were SO good. If anyone is wondering how these are with out cheese, they are still amazing. I served it with homemade cilantro lime rice and hot sauce. There was a lot of leftover filling, so we just ate it over the rice today with hot sauce. This is a seriously delicious recipe and I can't didn't stuff zucchini before now!
Kiersten Frase says
Thanks for your comment - I'm glad you enjoyed the recipe! 🙂
Alyssa says
I made these tonight and they were great, along with the freezer burritos! I do wish i had had some sour cream though... none-the-less, even my "must eat meat" husband liked them and said they had similar texture to the real thing so he would eat them again. Can't wait to try the burritos at work tomorrow.
BTW, thank you SOOO much for this website, it has made being a pescetarian so much easier and my "must eat meat" husband has even asked me to make several recipes again! LIFESAVER!
Kiersten Frase says
Isn't amazing how close the texture of tempeh is to real ground beef?! I'm glad they were a winner! 🙂
michael u says
+1 on the chipotle, works well.
As for doing things with the insides of the zucchini - if you eat eggs, the zucchinnards are good to mix through scrambled eggs. Am sure they'd do at least as well in a tofu scramble.
Aimee@Aimforhealthybites says
Awesome idea! These look fabulous and the "boats" make it fun for my toddler.