Moroccan Stuffed Zucchini Boats – Moroccan spiced veggies with chickpeas and dried cherries | Gluten Free + Vegan

Summer is now officially 2 days away here in our little neck of the woods and I for one am OFFICIALLY ready to consume all things zucchini!

Gimme sweet! Gimme savoury! There are only a million and one things to do with my favourite summer veg so let’s get it started!

You in?

The inspiration for these Moroccan Stuffed Zucchini Boats came from a recipe I shared a couple months back for a Moroccan chicken stew. That recipe has been getting quite a few positive reviews on Instagram lately – I figured it was time for a little recipe revamp. When trying to think of a dairy free way to eat zucchini boats this seemed like a perfect fit!

Making of: Moroccan Stuffed Zucchini Boats

This recipe is comprised of two main steps:

Zucchini Prep
Filling Prep

The zucchini prep is pretty straight forward – you just slice the zucchini in half lengthwise and hollow out the insides with a spoon or melon baller. A lot of stuffed zucchini recipes discard the seeds, but we’re going to add them back to the filling to reduce the amount of waste here.

The filling takes a little more work here because of the amount of ingredients that go into it, but it’s well worth it for the end result. Again, it’s a fairly simple process of sautéing and layering flavours as you go to create a quick, chickpea stew. Once the filling is complete it’s just a matter of stuffing and baking until you’re done.

These Moroccan Stuffed Zucchini Boats are

Healthy
Meat Free
Protein Packed (thank chickpeas)
& Simply Delicious!

You can always make the filling and refrigerate ahead of time for an even easier dinner prep. Just pull it out and cook as you need – great after coming home from a long day of work.

Enjoy!

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Don’t forget to #asaucykitchen on instagram if you try these Moroccan Stuffed Zucchini Boats! We love seeing what you make!  You can also post your pictures to my facebook page – those are always fun to see!

Yield: 5 people

Moroccan Stuffed Zucchini Boats

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Moroccan Stuffed Zucchini Boats - Moroccan spiced veggies with chickpeas and dried cherries | Gluten Free + Vegan

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Ingredients

• 5 large zucchinis, washed and ends up off
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 white onion , diced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt + more to taste
• 1 14 ounce can crushed tomatoes (preferably fire roasted)
• 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, chopped
• 1 teaspoon fresh garlic, crushed or chopped
• 1 medium carrot, (about 6 inches long) peeled and diced
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin powder
• 1 teaspoon coriander powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
• 1 cup vegetable stock, (250 ml) aim for a lower sodium stock
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar or coconut sugar
• 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup dried cherries, chopped into small pieces
• 1 14 oz can chickpeas, liquid drained and chickpeas rinsed.

Instructions

Zucchini Prep

1. Cut each zucchini in half horizontally, then carefully scoop out the seeds, leaving about 1/2-inch of zucchini on the skin. Place the scooped out insides into a medium sized bowl and gently pat with a paper towel to get rid of a bit of the excess water.
2. Preheat oven to 375°F/190°C. Line or grease baking sheet. Place each zucchini half onto the baking sheet, skin side down and set aside.

Filling Prep

1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. When the oil is hot add the diced onion and salt and sauté until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, ginger, garlic and carrot to the pan. Stir.
2. Add the spices the vegetables and stir it all together, coating everything in spice. Add the stock, sugar and vinegar. Bring to a simmer, cover the pot with a fitted lid and let cook for 10 minutes. Taste and season with more salt as necessary.
3. Add the chopped cherries & chickpeas and stir to mix in well. Turn off the heat.
4. Spoon the chickpea filling carefully into each zucchini half, filling as much as you can. Transfer the baking sheet to the oven and cook for 20-25 minutes. When done the zucchini should be tender.
5. Let cook for about 5 minutes, sprinkle a little cilantro over the top and enjoy!

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

5

Serving Size:

zucchini boats
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 281Sodium: 575mgCarbohydrates: 48gFiber: 12gSugar: 22gProtein: 13g