Persian Zucchini Boats – Summer Garden Recipe -Dairy Free

Garden zucchini overload? Try this Persian inspired Zucchini Boat recipe! It is dairy-free and paleo (if made without the rice). Persian Zucchini Boats are light yet hearty and can be made from your garden bounty. 

When I first made this recipe, I knew I wanted to bring in some spices and herbs I normally use when making our traditional Persian recipes. The addition of turmeric along with cilantro, mint, and parsley give these zucchini boats just the right amount of Persian flavor we were looking for. 

I have made a recipe video to go along with this written recipe. In it, I was able to use garden zucchini, tomato, spinach, cilantro, parsley, and mint. It is so fun to create recipes this time of year when we can use freshly harvested food from your backyard or even from the farmers market. Check it out!

Persian Zucchini Boat Tips

• Prepare the dish without the rice for a delicious paleo meal.
• We use one cup of the zucchini pulp in this recipe. Chop and reserve the remaining pulp for future recipes or place in an airtight container or ziplock bag and freeze.
• Medium-sized zucchinis are recommended for this recipe. If larger zucchinis are used, you may need to increase cooking time. 
• Use a fork and pierce into the zucchini flesh to check for tenderness when baking.
• The Persian Zucchini Boats pair well with a cucumber tomato salad or garden salad.

Persian Zucchini Boats – Summer Garden Recipe – Dairy Free

Lisa

Garden zucchini overload? Try this Persian inspired Zucchini Boat recipe! It is dairy-free and paleo (if made without the rice). Persian Zucchini Boats are light yet hearty and can be made from your garden bounty. 

5 from 2 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Course Main Course

Cuisine Persian

Servings 4

Ingredients

  

Rice

• 1/2 cup white basmati rice
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp avocado or olive oil

Persian Zucchini Boat

• 2 medium-sized zucchinis
• 2 tbsp avocado or olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 1/2 cup spinach, chopped
• 1 tbsp parsley, chopped
• 1 tbsp cilantro, chopped
• 1 tbsp mint, chopped
• 1 tbsp  tomato paste
• 1/2 lemon
• Salt to taste
• Pepper to taste
• 1 cup reserved zucchini pulp, chopped
• 2 tsp reserved chopped herbs for garnish

Instructions

 

Rice Preperation

• Rinse rice thoroughly until water runs clear.
• Add 1 cup of water and rice to a small saucepan.
• Add ½ tsp salt and 1 tsp oil.
• Stir and bring to a boil on medium-high heat. Boil until only a small amount of water remains. Approximately 10 minutes.
• Cover, reduce heat to low, and cook about 10 minutes more until the rice is soft and fluffy.

Zucchini Boat Preparation

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Chop spinach.
• Finely chop cilantro, parsley, and mint.
• Cut ends off of the zucchini and slice them in half lengthwise.
• Scoop out the pulp and leave about ¼ inch of zucchini flesh in the zucchini. (see video) Chop and reserve 1 cup of pulp for this recipe. Save the remaining pulp to use in other recipes.
• Heat a medium-sized saucepan on medium-high heat and add 2 tbsp oil.
• Saute chopped onion and ground turmeric for 5 minutes.
• Add minced garlic and saute for 3 more minutes or until fragrant.
• Add reserved 1 cup of the chopped zucchini pulp. Stir and cook for 3-5 minutes.
• Add the ground beef and saute until brown. 8-10 minutes.
• Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Drain grease from pan if needed.
• Add the chopped tomato, spinach, parsley, cilantro, mint, tomato paste, and the juice from half a lemon. Save 2 tsp of the chopped herbs for garnish.
• Reduce heat to low. Cook for 10 minutes and taste. Add more salt and pepper if needed.
• Add the cooked rice to the filling and combine.
• Scoop the beef filling into the zucchini boats.
• Place prepared zucchini boats in a 13-inch baking dish or pan.
• Bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees.
• Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for another 10 minutes until golden brown and the zucchini is tender.
• Enjoy!

Keyword dairy free, garden herbs, Ground Beef, Persian, Rice, summer, Tomato, turmeric, Zucchini

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