Stuffed zucchini boats with a delectable lightly spiced ground lamb and a creamy and zesty tahini sauce. Ready in just 30 minutes, these baked zucchini boats are an ideal option for a light weeknight lunch or dinner, or as a heartier meal served with sides.
Want more quick and easy lamb recipes? You should try my Homemade Turkish Lamb Shish Kebabs, Keema Rice Recipe and Lamb Kofta Wraps. And if you have leftover zucchini you should check out my Zucchini Pancakes and Zucchini and Mushroom Pasta.
The post contains additional information and helpful tips to ensure the recipe turns out great the first time. Please use the link above to jump to the recipe card at the end if you are in a hurry!
✅ 4 reasons why you'll love this recipe:
- Super quick and easy to make, just 30 minutes from start to finish
- Delicious flavor in every bite
- Healthy and nutritious
- A zero-waste recipe that uses the entire zucchini
🛒 Ingredients and variations:
Zucchini:
Any zucchini that are fresh, firm and have unblemished skin will work well for stuffing. I prefer to use larger zucchini as I find that the smaller ones can be fiddly when it comes to removing the seeds and filling them.
The recipe has been tested with medium to large zucchini that weigh 200-250g (7-9oz). The number of zucchini required to use all the filling may vary depending on the size of the zucchini you use.
Lamb:
I recommend using ground lamb with 20% fat because it has a deeper flavor and is better at maintaining a moist texture as it cooks.
You can swap lamb for another type of ground meat if you prefer such as beef, chicken or turkey.
Herbs and spices:
Garlic, chilli, harissa paste and several ground spices including cinnamon, allspice, ground coriander and cumin make the lamb fragrant and flavorful. If you don't have all these ground spices available, you can skip a couple and still have tasty lamb mince.
Recipe spice level
I'd consider this recipe mildly spiced. The green chillies, harissa paste and dried herbs and spices add a fragrant taste rather than heat. That said, if you are very sensitive to spice, you may wish to omit the green chilli and harissa.
Tahini sauce
Is a simple blend of tahini, lemon juice, salt and a little water to bring it to a pourable consistency.
🥘 Variations
- Meat: I love to stuff zucchini with lamb because its rich distinct flavor pairs up nicely with the mild taste of zucchini, but you can use minced beef, turkey, chicken mince or pork mince.
- Toppings: switch up the tahini sauce for some cool crumbled feta, goat's cheese, or a cool yoghurt sauce after you have grilled the lamb. You can also add some pine nuts or breadcrumbs for extra crunch.
- Zucchini : I usually make this recipe with classic green zucchini because they are the easiest ones to get hold of, but yellow zucchini or round zucchini are also great for stuffing, and you can also try stuffing courgette zucchini
🧑🍳 Recipe steps
1. Remove the seeds
Slice the zucchini in half lengthways and use a teaspoon to remove the seeds and flesh. Chop the seeds and flesh into small pieces (around 1cm or ½ inch) and set aside.
2. Prepare & bake
Place the zucchini shells in a roasting tin and brush the inside of each with oil and sprinkle with a little salt. Bake at 200C for 15 to 20 minutes while you prepare the lamb.
3. Sauté the flesh
Place a pan on a medium heat and add oil. Fry the garlic and chilli for a minute or two until fragrant and add the roughly chopped flesh and seeds and gently fry for a few minutes until tender.
4. Brown the lamb
Increase the heat and add the lamb and fry until brown. Then add the ground spices, salt and harissa. Continue to cook for a few more minutes and set aside.
5. Fill the zucchini
Make the tahini sauce by combining the tahini, lemon juice and salt in a small bowl. Remove the baked zucchini shells from the oven, spoon some of the filling into each one and drizzle with a thin layer of tahini sauce.
6. Grill/broil
Place the filled zucchini boats under the grill/broiler for around 5 minutes until the tahini topping begins to brown.
🍽️ Serving suggestions
There are many ways to enjoy stuffed zucchini boats. Serve alone for a light lunch or dinner or serve with some of these tasty sides for a heartier meal:
- Grains: such as rice, couscous or quinoa.
- Flatbread
- Potatoes: like these herby new potatoes, spicy harissa potatoes or my fresh and flavorful potato salad with spring onions and Creamy Red Skin Potato Salad.
👍 Expert tips
- Brush the zucchini with oil and add a little salt before roasting them to keep them nice and moist.
- Roast the zucchini while you make the filling to get dinner on the table quickly.
- Cut the flesh and seeds nice and small into chunks of around 1cm/1/2 inch.
🙋 FAQs
Zucchini flesh is edible and nutritious so whether you eat it or not comes down to personal preference. It's common to remove the seeds and pulp when preparing zucchini but you can also leave them in or incorporate the flesh and seeds into the filling if you are making stuffed zucchini.
Zucchini skin is smooth, tender and the most nutritious part. Most recipes will not suggest removing it, except for some baked goods like muffins and cakes. When you prepare zucchini you should rinse them thoroughly to remove any dirt and pesticides and cut out any spots or blemishes with a sharp knife.
Overgrown zucchini, otherwise known as marrows, are edible, but they are likely to have tougher skins, smaller seeds, and a stronger flavor than younger zucchini. Older and larger zucchini are best suited to recipes with longer cooking times such as stews, soups, casseroles and stuffing. They can also be grated and used in cakes and muffins. You might want to remove the skin and pulp and adjust the seasoning.
📦 Storage
Leftovers:
Cooked stuffed zucchini can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days. Allow them to cool, cover with plastic wrap or place them into an airtight container and transfer them to the fridge. You can then reheat them in the oven or air fryer (instructions below).
Freezing:
You can freeze stuffed zucchini for up to 3 months, but note that this will alter the texture a little. I tested this and the zucchini were perfectly edible but were a little on the mushy side.
Making ahead:
Stuffed zucchini can be a convenient make-ahead meal if you change the order of some of the steps. Remove the flesh and brush with oil, but skip the roasting stage. Follow the instructions for making the filling, spoon the cooked lamb mince filling into the zucchini and set aside to cool. You can then store the zucchini in the fridge for up to 3 days. It's best to make the tahini sauce fresh when you come to reheat them and add it 5 minutes before the end of the cooking time.
Reheating
Oven:
Place chilled zucchini onto a baking tray and cover with foil and roast them at 200°C or 400°F for 20-30 minutes. You can also bake the zucchini from frozen for 45-60 minutes.
Air fryer:
Place the zucchini into the basket and cook for 8-10 minutes at 190°C or 375°F.
Microwave:
Microwaving frozen stuffed zucchini is not recommended, but if you're in a hurry you can place them on a microwave-safe plate, cover with plastic wrap or a microwave-safe lid and heat them on high for 2-3 minutes. It's best to defrost frozen zucchini overnight in the fridge first if you plan to use the microwave to reheat them.
Did you try this recipe? It would be really great if you could leave a comment and a star rating ⭐️. I would love to receive your feedback and know that other readers find it helpful too.
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📖 Recipe
Recipe Card
Middle Eastern Stuffed Zucchini
Equipment
- 1 roasting dish
- 1 large frying pan
Ingredients
Courgettes
- 3 medium to large zucchini (Note 1)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 green chillies finely chopped (Note 2)
- 2 garlic cloves crushed
- ½ lb (250 g) ground lamb (Note 3)
- 2 teaspoon harissa paste (optional)
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon all spice
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 large handful finely chopped fresh parsley optional
Tahini sauce
- 2 tablespoon tahini
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½-1 tablespoon water
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 200C or 400F.
- Chop the ends off the zucchini and cut in half lengthways.
- Use a teaspoon to scoop out the courgette flesh and seeds onto a chopping board and chop roughly into small pieces (around 1cm / ½ inch).
- Pat the courgettes dry with kitchen paper, brush lightly with olive oil (this should use around half of the oil) and sprinkle with a small amount of salt.
- Place them into a baking dish and bake in the middle of the oven for 15-20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, place a large pan on a medium heat and add the remaining oil.
- Add the green chilli and garlic when the oil is hot and fry for a few minutes until fragrant.
- Increase the heat and add the courgette flesh and seeds and fry for a few minutes until any water from the courgettes evaporates.
- Then add the lamb and cook until brown.
- Add the harissa paste and season with ground coriander, all spice, cinnamon, cumin and salt.
- Continue to cook until the lamb juices have evaporated and remove from the heat.
- Then combine the tahini, lemon juice and salt in a small bowl.
- Stir in a tiny amount of water (a teaspoon at a time) until the sauce is just about pourable.
- Remove the courgettes from the oven, spoon in the lamb mince and drizzle with the tahini sauce.
- Place under the grill / broiler for a further 5 minutes until the tahini sauce starts to brown.
- Serve immediately scattered with chopped fresh parsley.
Notes
- Zucchini: Use any zucchini that are fresh and firm. Medium to large zucchini are recommended. The smaller ones can be tricky to prepare and fill. The recipe has been tested with zucchini that are 200-250g (or 7-9oz). The number of courgettes required to use all the filling may vary depending on the size of the courgettes you use.
- Green chillies: you can use red chillies instead, but this will add more heat to the dish. You can also switch this for a little chilli powder, which should be added to the cooked lamb along with the other ground herbs and spices.
- Ground lam: you can swap this for the same amount of ground beef, turkey, chicken or pork if you prefer.
can aubergine be used instead of courgettes? I do prefer aubergine to courgettes. would you have a recipe with aubergines I know they may be similar but I'm assuming with aubergine you have to do some preparation first. brilliant recipe I have not tried it yet but I will do .
many thanks.
I've not tried making the dish with aubergine, but I think it would work well.
Like with the courgette, I would dice it to 1/4 inch pieces, but cook for a little longer until softened. Then you may want to remove it and add it back after cooking the lamb, so the aubergine doesn't overcook.
If you try the recipe, I would love to know what you think.
We loved this recipe. I only used 250g of mince as that was all I had and it was enough for both of us! We’re using up a glut of courgettes!! I’ll definitely save it to use again
Thanks for letting me know. I'm glad you enjoyed the recipe and it helped you use some of your courgettes.