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?
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I love creating recipes, it's the closest to being a kid with a chemical set you can be after you are legally able to drive.
My favorite recipes come out of any sort of challenge. In this case I found myself with a pack of chorizo that I had in the fridge for a while, and needed to use before its expiration date. I wanted something new, and that would balance the high caloric content in chorizo.
About this recipe
So how about a one-dish meal? That's how these zucchini boats filled with rice and chorizo came about.
These zucchini boats filled with rice and chorizo are full of flavor, how can they not be with all that chorizo? The bright red of the chorizo transfers to the juicy, but firm rice, and the bits of vegetables and olives it add another dimension of textures and flavors. It's a beautiful dish too, the green of the zucchini contrast nicely with the reds in the filling.
I can see myself serving this for guests, or bringing it to a potluck.
Buen provecho!
Zucchini Boats Filled with Rice and Chorizo Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 zucchini
- 1 lb [0.48 kg] of skinless chorizo (see notes)
- 1 cup of rice
- 3 cloves of garlic , crushed
- 1 teaspoon of thyme leaves
- ⅓ cup of pitted olives , sliced
- 1 red bell pepper , diced
- 1 ½ cup of boiling-hot water
Instructions
- Make boats: Halve the zucchini and using a melon baller or small spoon hollow them. Set everything aside.
- Cook stuffing: Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add the chorizo and brown. Remove excess fat. Add the zucchini centers that you had previously removed. Also add garlic, thyme, olives, and bell pepper, cook and stir for a minute. Add the rice and mix well. Pour in the hot water and simmer until nearly all the liquid has evaporated (not all).
- Stuff boats: Remove from the heat and spoon the rice into the zucchini shells.
- Bake: Heat the oven to 350 ºF [145 ºC]. Place the boats in a baking pan and cover tightly with aluminum foil. Bake for 40 minutes, or until rice is cooked through.
- Serve: Serve hot with a salad of your choice.
I remember stuffing zucchinis like this in my early twenties. I had completely forgotten about them. I love the idea of the sharp hit of the chorizo in these.
This is so beautiful and perfect one plate dish! Great idea of veggies, rice, and meat. I especially love the dreamy 2nd shot. My kids love zucchini but haven't mad zucchini boats before. I had chorizo too but never thought of this recipe. This is brilliant! 😉
Love the idea of zucchini boats and of course the addition of chorizo is always a hit. Lovely photos as always 😉