Rice Stuffed Zucchini Recipe: Zucchini Boats with Rice and Chorizo Sausage

These chorizo and rice stuffed zucchini boats are full of flavor; how can they not be with all that good stuff? The bright red of the chorizo transfers to the juicy, but firm rice, and the bits of vegetables and olives add another dimension of textures and flavors.

Why I ❤️ it • Recipe • Ingredients • Preparation

Chorizo and rice stuffed zucchini.

Why I ❤️ it

I absolutely love stuffed vegetables. And what's not to love in these zucchini boats filled with rice and chorizo that are so colorful, flavorful, and easy to make? You may already have most of the ingredients in your pantry and fridge.

This entree is a beautiful dish and can be also served as a main dish or even a side dish. The green of the zucchini contrasts nicely with the reds in the filling. It's a wonderful one-dish meal? You can have a whole dinner ready in no time. I can see myself serving this to guests, or bringing it to a potluck.

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Utensils and tools

• Large skillet
• Lasagna baking dish or baking sheet
• Aluminum foil
• Oven

Ingredients

• 6 medium zucchini
• 1 pound [0.48 kilogram] of Mexican-style chorizo
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 small red onion, minced
• 1 teaspoon of fresh thyme leaves (plus extra for garnish)
• ⅓ cup pitted green olives, sliced or chopped
• 1 bell pepper, minced
• ⅓ cup of tomato sauce
• 1 cup Carolina rice, long grain, uncooked
• 1 cup boiling-hot water
• 1 teaspoon of salt (may not be needed)
• 2 tablespoons of oil for greasing the pan (olive oil, vegetable oil, or the fat removed from browning the chorizo)

Preparation

Before starting, please make sure you have all the ingredients and utensils ready.

Step 1: Make the boats

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F [145 degrees C].

Halve the zucchini and hollow them scooping out the zucchini flesh using a melon baller or small spoon. Set everything aside.

Remove the skin from the chorizo sausages.

Step 2: Cook

Heat the skillet over medium heat. Add the chorizo and brown. Remove excess fat.

Add the zucchini flesh that you had previously removed. Also, add garlic, onion, thyme, olives, and bell pepper, and cook and stir for a minute. Mix in the tomato sauce.

Step 3: Add rice

Add the rice and mix well. Pour in the hot water and season with salt to taste (this may not be necessary, depending on the salt content in the chorizo).

Simmer until nearly all the liquid has evaporated (not all). At this point, the rice will not be fully-cooked. It will finish cooking in the next steps.

Step 4: Fill the zucchini

Remove the rice from the heat and spoon the rice mixture into the zucchini halves.

Drizzle, then brush the baking pan with the oil, and place the boats on them. Cover tightly with aluminum foil.

Step 5: Bake

Bake the boats for 40 minutes or until the rice is cooked through and tender.

Remove from the oven and sprinkle with herbs. Serve hot.

Variations

This dish can be made with eggplants too. The method would be identical. The only thing I would change is adding a layer of your preferred pasta tomato sauce in the lasagna pan before baking.

If you're looking for alternatives to chorizo, this recipe works great with ground beef, ground chicken, or ground turkey. If you're using any of these meats, season it with 1 teaspoon of black pepper, 1½ teaspoon of salt, 1 tablespoon of garlic powder, and 1 tablespoon of sweet paprika before you start the process described in the recipe.

If you really love cheese, you can sprinkle the boats with feta, mozzarella, or parmesan cheese before baking, though I preferred it without.

You can try it with your favorite meatless chorizo sausage for a vegetarian choice, and add extra seasonings if you find it necessary. Maybe even drizzle with a bit of lemon juice for extra flavor.

If you do not have or do not like thyme, you can use some minced parsley, basil, or experiment with fresh herbs of your choice.

Top tips

Be mindful that Mexican-style chorizo is the one used in this recipe. Spanish chorizo is a cured sausage, while Mexican chorizo is a seasoned uncooked meat sausage.

This is a great dish to save leftovers for the next day. Refrigerate them in an airtight container and microwave covered the next day.

Serving suggestions

Serve with a salad of your choice for dinner, or as a side dish in a larger meal.

Nutritional information

Calories: 395kcal - Carbohydrates: 35g - Protein: 16g - Fat: 21g - Saturated Fat: 7g - Cholesterol: 47mg - Sodium: 675mg - Potassium: 595mg - Fiber: 3g - Sugar: 6g - Vitamin A: 1445IU - Vitamin C: 60.9mg - Calcium: 47mg - Iron: 1.6mg

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