ROUND STUFFED ZUCCHINI LIGHT
Luckily the good weather and sunny days seem unwilling to leave us and even though it’s already September the longing for summer is slow to fade.
At the end of the holidays, however, we often feel a bit heavy because maybe, like me, we didn’t pay much attention to calories, and between aperitifs, dinners and ice creams the scale suffers.
Here’s a recipe that still tastes like summer but is light: round zucchinis baked in the oven and stuffed with rice, a lighter but tasty variation of classic stuffed zucchinis.
Fortunately this versatile vegetable is in season until the end of September, it’s rich in minerals, fiber and vitamins, and it’s low in calories, so perfect to include in a low-calorie diet.
The recipe for rice-stuffed round zucchinis will give you a dish that can easily be considered a complete meal suitable for a family lunch or a dinner with friends.
For this recipe you can also use regular zucchinis, but the round ones are better suited to be filled and, since we eat also with our eyes, they have a decidedly better show effect.
So what are you waiting for, let’s cook together the
ROUND STUFFED ZUCCHINI LIGHT
- Cost: Very inexpensive
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Cooking time: 50 Minutes
- Portions: 4 PERSONE
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Energy 261.30 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 37.31 (g) of which sugars 3.67 (g)
- Proteins 7.30 (g)
- Fat 9.79 (g) of which saturated 2.61 (g)of which unsaturated 1.14 (g)
- Fibers 2.50 (g)
- Sodium 546.49 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 210 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
- 4 round zucchinis
- 3/4 cup rice (150 g)
- 2 tbsp Parmigiano Reggiano PDO
- to taste breadcrumbs
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- to taste salt
- Half white onion
- to taste pepper
Preparation
First of all, rinse the zucchinis well under running water.
Bring a pot of plenty of lightly salted water to a boil and immerse the zucchinis for no more than 5 minutes; they should only soften slightly.
Once blanched, remove them from the pot and with a sharp knife remove the “cap” carefully so as not to break it, then set it aside.
Scoop out the inner pulp with a teaspoon, then roughly chop it in a food processor.
Sauté half a white onion in a pan with two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil.
As soon as it starts to sizzle add the chopped zucchini pulp and cook for 3–4 minutes, then turn off the heat and remove the pan from the stove.
Meanwhile cook the rice in boiling water (follow the cooking times indicated on the package); once ready drain it and add it to the pan with the zucchini pulp, which you will have returned to the heat in the meantime.
Mix everything, add the grated Parmigiano and stir for about a minute to combine.
At this point fill each round zucchini with the mixture you prepared, sprinkle the surface with breadcrumbs and drizzle generously with extra virgin olive oil, then close with the caps.
Grease a baking dish, place the zucchinis and bake for about half an hour in a preheated oven at 356°F (180°C).
They should form a light, crispy, golden crust on the surface.
Once ready, take them out of the oven and let them rest for 5 minutes before serving.
