Tender zucchini are stuffed with a filling of fresh and flavorful raw cauliflower "couscous" in this no cook vegan stuffed zucchini.
Zucchini has been on the menu quite a bit around here lately, which always seems to be the case around this time of year.
And when they’re as fresh and tender as they have been, there’s no reason to even cook them. The slender ones have an especially creamy interior that make them the perfect candidates for being eaten raw.
What's in them?
These particular stuffed zucchinis are filled with a mixture of raw spinach and cauliflower “couscous” dressed with lemon juice and olive oil. I throw in a good quantity of fresh mint, oregano, garlic and olives along with some lemon zest for extra brightness.
It’s an easy dish that comes together quickly, which is always welcome when you’re short on time. The lengthiest part of the whole thing is the salting which helps to soften and tenderize the zucchini even further before stuffing so don’t skip it! The filling can even be made ahead of time and the zucchini stuffed right before serving.
More Raw Recipes:
Raw Vegan Stuffed Zucchini
Tender zucchini are stuffed with a filling of fresh and flavorful cauliflower "couscous" in this no cook vegan stuffed zucchini.
Ingredients
- 6 small to medium zucchini, cut in half lengthwise
- The zest of half a lemon
- The juice of one large lemon
- 1 small garlic clove, finely minced
- 1 Tablespoon/15ml extra-virgin olive oil
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Coarse sea salt
- ½ a medium sized head of cauliflower, cut into florets
- 1 cup baby spinach leaves, thinly chopped
- 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves
- 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh oregano leaves
- ¼ cup/45g black olives (like kalamata), pitted and coarsely chopped
- ¼ cup/30g raw pine nuts, coarsely chopped
Instructions
- Cut each zucchini in half lengthwise; scoop out the seeds and pulp from the center. Sprinkle a generous amount of salt evenly over the zucchini. Place the salted zucchini face down on a shallow dish and set aside for at least 15-20 minutes to drain.
- In the meantime make the filling. Whisk together the lemon zest, lemon juice, minced garlic, olive oil, and a pinch of salt and pepper in a medium sized bowl and set aside.
- Place the cauliflower florets into the bowl of a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. (Don't over-process, you want a fluffy texture with grain-sized pieces)
- Add the chopped cauliflower, to the dressing and toss to combine. Add in the chopped spinach, finely chopped herbs and chopped black olives and toss again.
- Flip salted zucchini halves over and wipe dry with a clean cloth. Spoon cauliflower stuffing into each zucchini half, top with pine nuts and serve immediately.
Notes
Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Vegetarian, Vegan, Paleo, Raw
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 145Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 232mgCarbohydrates: 19gFiber: 6gSugar: 11gProtein: 6g
Nutritional information for recipes contained on this website, such as calories, fat, carbs, etc. are only estimates and are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Sylvie Shirazi is the recipe developer and food photographer behind Gourmande in the Kitchen. For the last 10 years she's been making eating more healthfully easy and accessible with gluten-free, grain-free, paleo and vegan recipes that are free from processed ingredients.
Millie l Add A Little says
This looks super delicious and healthy! I love it!
Alison @ Ingredients, Inc. says
right up my alley! As always
Meredith in sock monkey slippers says
Love all of the flavors in this! Pine nuts, olives, and mint - yes please!
EA-The Spicy RD says
Yum! I've been doing zucchini noodles, but haven't tried stuffing them yet. Love the idea of cauliflower cous cous, and, of course, pine nuts are always a must 🙂
Kitchen Belleicious says
delicious but healthy- just what I want and expect in a meal. I love the herbs used and the raw spinach is super cool. and as always the pictures are stunning