Description
CSA organic zucchini boats with garlic tomatoes and fresh basil – a delightful, healthy side dish that’s simple to put together.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 large zucchinis
- 2 med to large tomatoes
- 1 large clove of garlic, finely diced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 cup shredded parm (or mozzarella)
- 10-15 fresh basil leaves
Instructions
- Finely dice your garlic.
- Prep your zucchini. Cut the tips off the ends, then cut lengthwise, then cut those in half. You should have four zucchini boats per zucchini – so eight total. Take a spoon and scoop out the seeds of all the zucchinis. Once the seeds are removed, place all zucchini in a baking dish and set aside. My video shows this well.
- Prep your tomatoes. Remove the core of your tomatoes with a coring tool or paring knife. Cut the tomatoes in half. Remove the seeds and pulp from the tomatoes. It gets messy so it’s handy to have a garbage bowl to dump everything in to. Cut the tomatoes into strips, then dice into small pieces. Put diced tomatoes in a bowl and add the garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. Mix well to combine all the ingredients.
- Assemble the zucchini boats. Put a spoonful of tomatoes into each zucchini boat. I always start with one spoonful each then go back and distribute the rest evenly. Pour a couple of glugs of olive oil into the baking dish and bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes. (see note below if your zucchini are small).
- While the zucchini is cooking you can shred your fresh parmesan cheese. If you want to use shredded mozzarella that works too!
- Remove the zucchini from the oven after it's baked for 35-40 minutes and add the parmesan cheese to the tops of all the zucchini boats. Place back in the oven for 3-5 minutes to let the cheese melt.
- While the cheese is melting you can chop your fresh basil. I always chop my basil at the last minute. If it’s left hanging around for too long it gets brown and black marks on it. Still edible and delicious, but I’d rather chop it right before serving so the green really stands out.
- Remove from the oven and garnish with fresh shredded basil and serve immediately. Great for a side dish with chicken, pork, fish, or steak.
Notes
- My zucchinis were huge. If you’re using smaller zucchini, I would say to adjust the cooking time a bit. Instead of 35-40 minutes at 350 degrees – maybe check them at 20-25 minutes to see if they’re done. I do like my zucchini al dente. If you like it cooked more, adjust the cooking time to your preference.