In spring and summer, I often prepare stuffed zucchini, especially when I want a second course different from the usual slice of meat. The stuffed zucchini with ham and mozzarella is my most recent version of this dish, which adds to the other delicious variants: the classic stuffed zucchini with meat, those stuffed with tuna, or the round zucchini stuffed with rice, great as a single dish. The preparation of stuffed zucchini with ham and mozzarella is very simple and the result is always delicious, whether you serve them hot or at room temperature. The trick for impeccable cooking is to briefly blanch the zucchini, cut in half lengthwise, to soften both the skin and the inner pulp, which is then used for the filling. Once extracted and chopped, the pulp is mixed with diced ham and mozzarella, enriched with a sprinkle of parmesan and an egg to ensure the perfect cohesion of the ingredients. Stuffed zucchini with ham is a recipe that easily adapts to any occasion, making it ideal for a family lunch or an informal dinner with friends.
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- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Very Cheap
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 4 people
- Cooking methods: Oven, Boiling
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Spring, Summer
- Energy 252.10 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 8.90 (g) of which sugars 0.15 (g)
- Proteins 21.03 (g)
- Fat 16.02 (g) of which saturated 7.90 (g)of which unsaturated 5.32 (g)
- Fibers 2.25 (g)
- Sodium 531.89 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 258 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 for Stuffed Zucchini with Cooked Ham and Mozzarella
If you are celiac, besides using gluten-free breadcrumbs, make sure that the cooked ham label states “gluten-free”.
- 1.75 lbs zucchini
- 3.5 oz cooked ham
- 5.3 oz mozzarella
- 2 tbsps grated parmesan
- 1 egg
- as needed breadcrumbs (for me gluten-free)
- 2 pinches salt
- 2 drizzles extra virgin olive oil
Tools
- 1 Cutting Board
- 1 Knife
- 1 Pot large
- 1 Melon Baller
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Baking Dish
- 1 Teaspoon
How to Prepare Stuffed Zucchini with Cooked Ham and Mozzarella
For the English version of this recipe click here!
To prepare the stuffed zucchini with ham and mozzarella, start by washing and trimming the zucchini. Choose the largest and straightest zucchini possible to make your work easier. Cut them in half lengthwise (1) and blanch them in lightly salted water for 5-6 minutes (2). They should not be cooked too much or they will break when you hollow them out. Drain them, let them cool, and with a knife, score them along the skin, without sinking the blade all the way through (3).
With a melon baller, start to delicately hollow them out (4), leaving a few millimeters of pulp on the sides and bottom of the zucchini; lightly salt them (5). Discard about one-third of the obtained pulp, finely chop the rest with a knife (6), and place it in a bowl.
Finely chop the cooked ham (7) and mozzarella (8) as well. Choose a rather dry mozzarella, or let it drain well once chopped to eliminate excess water. Gather the zucchini pulp, cooked ham, mozzarella, egg, and parmesan in the bowl. Lightly salt and mix everything with a spoon (9).
Then move on to stuffing the zucchini: with the help of a teaspoon, fill the zucchini shells, forming a fairly thick layer. Compact it well with your fingers or the back of the teaspoon (10). Lightly sprinkle them with a bit of breadcrumbs (11).
Place the stuffed zucchini with ham and mozzarella in a baking dish slightly greased with oil and garnish them on top with a drizzle of oil (12). Bake them in the preheated oven at 392°F (static) for about 30 minutes, until they are slightly golden on the surface (13).
Remove the stuffed zucchini from the oven and serve them hot or warm, as an appetizer or as a main course.
Storage
If you have leftovers, you can store the stuffed zucchini in the refrigerator for a couple of days and then briefly heat them in the oven or microwave before enjoying them.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
What can I use instead of cooked ham?
You can replace the cooked ham with mortadella or speck in the same quantities. Note that speck is saltier, so avoid adding salt to the filling.
What can I use instead of mozzarella?
You can use another cheese of your choice, for example, scamorza, emmental, fontina, gruyere…
