Stuffed Round Zucchini with Pesto Quinoa

 

What do you love the most about seasons? Is it the changing weather, temperature, fashion, or the color of the leaves in the trees? For me, it’s the flavorful seasonal produce that come with each one of them. Throughout the Spring season specifically, many of my favorite fruits and vegetables become perfectly ripe. That’s when I like to spend some time at the grocery store, and get lost in the fresh produce aisle. As I was walking there the other day actually, I saw a cart filled with round zucchini and couldn’t resist. They looked so good, and round, and green, and perfect. Don’t you agree?

Due to their roundness specifically, they are great vegetables to stuff with tasty fillings for vegetarian dishes or not. As soon as I bought a couple the other day, I immediately knew what to do with them and ran home to preheat my oven. What came out of this culinary adventure is a delicious and original meal, perfect for a chilly spring day here in Paris! Bon appétit!

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Total time: about 40-50 minutes

Ingredients: 

• 1 round zucchini
• 1/4 cup quinoa
• 1 tomato
• 1/2 yellow onion
• 1 tbsp pesto (homemade or store bought)
• a couple fresh basil leaves
• olive oil
• salt & pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 375°F.
2. Chop the top of the zucchini and set aside. With a spoon, carve a large hole in the middle of the squash. Try to empty it as much as possible, to make room for the filling. Chop the carved out flesh and set it aside too.
3. When the oven is hot, brush the zucchini with olive oil, sprinkle some sea salt, and let it cook on a baking sheet.
4. Meanwhile, heat some olive oil in a pot, and sauté the chopped onion, carved out zucchini flesh and tomato until they get a nice brown color. Add fresh basil, and the quinoa with 1/2 cup water. Stir well, cover, and let it cook for about 15 minutes. When the quinoa is ready, add a spoonful of pesto and stir again so that all the grains are well coated.
5. Take the zucchini out of the oven, scoop the filling up to the top. Put the “lid” back on, and place it back in the oven at 400°F. Let it roast for about 25-30 minutes, or until the flesh is tender and the top of the filling slightly crispy. Enjoy!

TIP: this recipe is also delicious with pesto rosso instead of regular pesto! 

 

Temps total: about 40-50 minutes

Ingrédients: 

• 1 courgette ronde
• 50g de quinoa
• 1 tomate
• 1/2 oignon jaune
• 1 c.s de pesto (fait maison de préférence)
• quelques feuilles de basilic frais
• huile d’olive
• sel et poivre fraîchement moulu

Etapes:

1. Préchauffez votre four à 180°C.
2. Coupez le haut de la courgette et mettez le de côté. Videz le plus possible la courgette à l’aide d’une cuillère. Coupez la chair que vous avez vidée en petits morceaux et mettez la de côté.
3. Lorsque le four est chaud, huilez les courgettes à l’aide d’un pinceau, salez les, et mettez le tout à cuire sur une plaque de cuisson.
4. Pendant ce temps, faites chauffer de l’huile dans une poêle. Émincez l’oignon et la tomate, et faites les revenir avec les dès de courgette jusqu’à ce qu’ils dorent. Ajoutez le basilic, la quinoa et 1/2 cup d’eau. Mélangez le tout, couvrez, et laissez les graines cuire pendant environ 15 minutes, ou jusqu’à absorption totale du liquide. Ajoutez une cuillère de pesto, et mélangez de nouveau le tout.
5. Sortez la plaque du four, remplissez les courgette précuites avec la garniture, remettez leur “chapeau” et remettez le tout au four, à 200°C. Laissez cuire pendant 25-30 minutes, ou jusqu’à ce que la chair soit tendre et le haut de la garniture légèrement croustillant. Bon appétit!

LE PLUS: cette recette est aussi délicieuse avec du pesto rosso au lieu du pesto normal!