Stuffed Zucchini with Chickpeas

Yields2 servings
CuisineMediterranean
CategoryMain course

Preparation Time15 minutes
Cooking Time25 minutes
Total Time40 minutes

Markus Stumpf

Stuffed zucchini with chickpeas is delicious and doesn't require much work. As an additional side dish, I made a simple tomato rice. You can also serve the zucchini with baguette or bread.

Ingredients

600 g zucchini (three medium-sized)
240 g chickpeas (canned)
100 g cherry tomatoes
50 g Pecorino Romano
20 g parsley
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp paprika powder (hot)
2 tsp thyme
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp olive oil
salt
black pepper
1 cup rice
400 g tomatoes (passata; canned)

Ingredients: hollowed-out zucchini
Chopped zucchini flesh
Ingredients: chickpeas
Chickpeas with spices
Chickpeas with spices and zucchini
Ingredients: halved cherry tomatoes
All ingredients on the baking tray
Ingredients: roughly chopped parsley
Zucchini with chickpea filling
Zucchini with chickpea filling topped with Pecorino
Finished dish: Stuffed zucchini with chickpeas
Finished dish: Stuffed zucchini with chickpeas

Instructions

For the tomato rice, briefly bring the rice, 1.5 cups of water, a little salt and the tomato passata to a boil in a pot . Then cover with a lid and let it stand for about 20 minutes on the switched-off stove.
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Drain the chickpeas. I use canned chickpeas because they are already cooked.
Halve the zucchini lengthwise and scoop out the flesh using a teaspoon or a vegetable knife .
Cut the removed zucchini flesh into small pieces.
Place the chickpeas in a bowl and add the paprika powder, lemon juice, tomato paste, thyme and zucchini flesh. Mix well.
Halve the cherry tomatoes.
Spread the chickpeas, tomatoes and zucchini on a baking tray lined with baking paper . Brush the zucchini with the olive oil and bake in the oven for about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, roughly chop the parsley.
Remove the tomatoes and chickpea mixture from the baking tray.
Mix half of the Pecorino and half of the parsley into the chickpea mixture in the bowl and distribute the mixture among the zucchini halves.
Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the zucchini halves and bake in the oven for another 5 minutes.
Arrange the zucchini halves on plates and garnish with the tomato halves and the remaining parsley.

Nutrition (per serving)

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. Actual values may vary depending on ingredients and portion sizes.