Two summers ago, I spent my days interning as a chef at Poplar Ridge Organic Farm (in Waxhaw, North Carolina). I dug fresh vegetables straight out of the ground, and had them cooked and arranged in serving dishes a few hours later. It was a dream job.
One of the best parts of working there was the unlimited access to all the vegetables I could get my hands on. I often went in for the day with no plans or preparations, and I’d begin my meal planning at the big red shed. I’d talk to the farmers about what was ripe and plentiful, and go from there.
I documented a lot of my farm cooking, but never really turned any of the meals into recipes. One of my favorite dishes I made that summer were the quinoa stuffed zucchini boats. Last week, I decided to make them again – this time with a few changes and improvements.
I bought these giant zucchini at the Bellevue Farmer’s Market with this dish specifically in mind. While I used zucchini, you can really use any variety of squash – yellow, patty pan, etc. In this case, bigger is better – it will hold more delicious stuffing!
Quinoa Stuffed Squash Boats
Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Ingredients (3-4 servings)
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1 cup quinoa
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2 cups water
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1 vegetable bouillon cube (optional)
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3 large zucchini squash (or squash of your choice!)
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1 large onion
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1 cup sliced cherry tomatoes
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1/2 cup minced fresh herbs (I used tarragon, basil, and oregano)
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1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
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1 tablespoon orange champagne vinegar (or white wine vinegar)
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salt (to taste)
Instructions
Start by preheating your oven to 400 degrees. Then combine quinoa with 2 cups of water, and cook until fluffy in a rice cooker or on the stove-top. I like to cook mine with a vegetable bouillon cube for seasoning, but that’s optional.
While the quinoa cooks, prep your squash boats. Slice each zucchini in half lengthwise, so you have two long halves from each squash. Using a serrated spoon (or melon baller!), scrape the fleshy inside of the squash out of each half. Try to get as much as possible, so that you have enough room to add filling to your squash.
Set the scraped zucchini flesh aside on a paper towel (which will help absorb some of the extra water).
Set your zucchini shells face up on a baking sheet. Drizzle with a bit of olive oil and salt. Now prep the rest of your squash filling.
In a large saute pan, cook the diced onion in a bit of olive oil. Cook until brown and softening – about five minutes. While the onion cooks, dice the zucchini flesh into bite sized pieces. Add the zucchini and the cherries to the pan with the onions. Continue cooking for about five minutes over medium heat.
Once the quinoa is cooked, add quinoa to the saute pan, along with nutritional yeast and fresh herbs. I used tarragon, basil, and oregano from my garden, but feel free to sub in other herbs that you have on hand. Fresh herbs are one of the best parts of summer cooking!
Add one tablespoon or orange champagne vinegar. I got mine at Trader Joe’s, but if you don’t have that nearby feel free to sub in regular champagne or white wine vinegar.
Add one tablespoon nutritional yeast (or sub with Parmesan cheese if you prefer), and stir to combine everything. Season to taste with salt, as you continue to cook the mixture over medium heat. Scoop the quinoa and squash mixture into the zucchini boats.
Use a spoon to really pile it up! Once they are full, cover the whole sheet pan with foil and bake for 30 minutes (covered). After the 30 minutes, bake for an additional 10-15 minutes, until the quinoa mixture is golden on top and the zucchini shell has softened.
Serve entire boats, or slice and serve in a few smaller pieces. Don’t be fooled by the photo – I ended up eating an entire second squash. Too good not to go back for seconds!
To me, this recipe is the epitome of summer. Giant farm fresh squash, ripe cherry tomatoes, and flavorful fresh herbs – all cooked together for a tasty and healthy meal.
Just as good as I had remembered. As always, enjoy!
30 Comments so far
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Looks great. Always looking for more zucchini ideas since they grow almost faster than we can eat them.
Quick question: Is it 1/2 cup fresh herbs? or 1/2 of something else? Thanks!
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Emily Malone Reply:
July 24th, 2012 at 8:36 pm
Gah – thanks for the catch! 1/2 CUP minced fresh herbs. Oops!
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Yum! Can’t wait to make this. I love your recipes!
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Emily Malone Reply:
July 24th, 2012 at 8:37 pm
Thanks Erin!
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These look delicious! So summery :)
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What an interesting dish! I can’t wait to try this!
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This looks so good and summery! Thank you for all of your delicious recipes and kitchen inspiration :)
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Emily Malone Reply:
July 24th, 2012 at 8:37 pm
Thank YOU for reading and trying them!
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I have a stock pile of the orange champagne vinegar, now i have another wonderful way to use it up. This recipe looks amazing, I now know whats on the menu for tomorrow night.
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Emily Malone Reply:
July 24th, 2012 at 8:38 pm
Yay, perfect!
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Melissa @ HerGreenLife Reply:
July 25th, 2012 at 6:38 am
That vinegar sounds really interesting. Is the orange flavor strong?
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These look delicious! I love stuffed vegetables, especially in summery recipes like this one :)
By the way, did you happen to be at the PCC in Houghton today around 1 PM? I’m pretty sure I walked past you (or someone who looked alot like you, haha) near the bulk foods section in the back!
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Emily Malone Reply:
July 24th, 2012 at 8:39 pm
Omg that was totally me. How embarrassing. You caught me my bermuda shorts with no makeup on. :) Next time say hi, no matter how bad I look!
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Kristi Reply:
July 24th, 2012 at 9:08 pm
Don’t worry! I had just got back from a bike ride, so I was still in my sweaty workout clothes (and didn’t have any makeup on, either) ;)
Next time I see you, I will definitely say hi! I’m probably in that store every other day (at least!) so I would say the odds are good we’ll run into each other again :)
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I can never get my hands on too many quinoa recipes. Can’t wait to try this one!*
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Do you have any sort of garden? I can imagine how inspiring working on the farm might have been!
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“Once they are full, cover the whole sheet pan with foil and bake for 30 minutes (covered). After the 30 minutes, bake for an additional 10-15 minutes, until the quinoa mixture is golden on top and the zucchini shell has softened”.
Just curious, why didn’t you just say cook for 40-45 minutes? Or is the last 10-15 minutes uncovered?
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Emily, this looks…delicious. I don’t have any Orange Champanya Vinegar in my pantry, but do have some ridiculously good balsamics that could do very well in something like this. Yet another one for the recipe binder!
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Oooh! Can’t wait to make this!! :-) Looks so good and summery!
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Thanks so much for the great recipe! I would love to hear more about your garden. Do you just have small pots in a window? Or is your garden in the ground?
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Oh my, these look so good! These would be perfect for summer or to bring to a BBQ. I can’t wait to try them!
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Yum! I feel like I always see a take on this recipe that involves loads of cheese. I love that your creation places flavor emphasis elsewhere.
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What a fun idea! I’m totally doing it!
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Quinoa + farmers’ market vegetables are amazing together! That job does sound like a dream :)
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[...] you’re looking for more ways to enjoy quinoa, here are some of my favorites: Quinoa-Stuffed Squash Boats, by Emily over at Daily Garnish (we actually had these for dinner tonight, but I used some cute [...]
This dish took me back to childhood memories so I have included it in my July 2012 roundup of meatless meals. Thanks for the fresh approach and the inspiration!
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These look delicious, Emily! I bought several enormous cucumbers this past weekend also from the Bellevue Farmers Market, and now I’m wondering if I could do something similar with those. Thanks for the inspiration!
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This looks like a delicious appetizer. We love quinoa because it’s so healthy and tasty. Thank you for posting this recipe.
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Thank you for creating and sharing this recipe! I have so much squash from my garden right now and this will be a great way to use some of it!
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[...] have never made myself. Emily over at the Daily Garnish took me back to my childhood with these Quinoa Stuffed Squash Boats. I can see myself serving these following My Darling Lemon Thyme’s Chickpea and Leek [...]
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