Springtime means lighter bites and allll the veggies, and this zucchini boat checks all the boxes!
I haven’t made zucchini boats very often, but was inspired by The Defined Dish and her lasagna-stuffed zucchini boats (if you don’t have her cookbook, RUN, don’t walk, to get it!). So I thought – I’m going to give it a go with another pasta classic!
My Quinoa Primavera is packed with protein and all the veggies, with pops of freshness and acidity from the herbs and lemon. And clearly, since there weren’t enough veggies IN the quinoa, I had to serve it in a zucchini boat. These are super filling, without any of the guilt!
I hope you enjoy! 🙂
Quinoa Primavera Zucchini Boats
A lightened-up, protein-packed version of your favorite spring pasta!
Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 3 medium zucchini, halved and seeded
- 1 head broccoli, cut into small florets
- 1 cup quinoa
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 bunch asparagus, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 yellow bell pepper, diced
- 1 shallot, minced
- 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced
- 1 cup chicken or vegetable broth
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1 cup dairy-free heavy cream I like the Nutpods Original for this
- 1 cup peas
- 1 pint grape tomatoes, quartered
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese plus more for sprinkling the boats
- 1/4 cup fresh basil, chiffonaded reserve a few leaves for garnish
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- After halving and scraping the seeds from the zucchini to create the "boats," place them onto a baking sheet lined with foil. Sprinkle the insides of the boats with parmesan cheese.
- Add 6 cups of salted water to a medium saucepan, and bring to a boil.
- Add broccoli, and blanch for 3 minutes until bright green. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to an ice bath, and drain all but 2 cups of the water from your saucepan.
- Add 1 cup quinoa to same saucepan, bring to a boil, and cook according to package directions (about 15 minutes).
- While quinoa cooks, add 1 tbsp olive oil to a large saute pan over medium-high heat (high-sided preferred) and add bell pepper and asparagus. Cook until softened, about 5-7 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste (1/4 tsp of each).
- Add shallot and garlic to the same saute pan, and cook until fragrant, 1-2 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste (1/4 tsp of each), and 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes. Add a little more olive oil if pan starts to get dry.
- Sprinkle flour over the veggies, stir to combine, and cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Add broth and cream to the saute pan, stir to combine, bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer until sauce has thickened.
- Remove pan from heat, add lemon zest and juice, along with parmesan cheese, and stir to combine.
- Fold in the cooked quinoa, tomatoes, peas, blanched broccoli and fresh basil until just combined. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Fill zucchini boats with the quinoa veggie mixture, and don't be afraid to pile them high! You can top them with additional parmesan cheese as desired.
- Bake for 20 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown. Garnish with fresh basil, and serve with a wedge of lemon. Enjoy!
Notes
I used the Nutpods Original dairy-free creamer for this, since I'm trying to limit dairy in my diet. You could totally swap for regular heavy cream! I'd recommend starting with 1/2 cup, tasting the sauce, and adding more as desired for richness. You can always balance out with a little more broth, too!