From noodles to bread and fritters, what can’t we make with zucchini today?! We were craving a healthy snack and created miniature zucchini boats stuffed with Kimchi wild rice.
As summer shifts to fall, zucchini is abundantly present at farmers markets and grocery stores. Zucchini is a versatile vegetable and we love the different ways it lends itself to cooking.
A lesser known ingredient, wild “rice” is technically not rice, but rather a tough seed from an aquatic grass indigenous to parts of the Upper Midwest in the US, as well as Canada. Regardless of the details, wild rice brings texture and rich flavor to many dishes. While you just need a bit of time to cook it, it holds well for days and is easily reheated in a microwave.
Zucchini boats filled with wild rice and parmesan snow
Abundant in New England from late spring through early fall, zucchini is a versatile vegetable. We love how it tastes with the texture of wild rice, and these bite-sized, boat-shaped pieces are perfectly snackable.
Ingredients
- ¼ cup onion, finely diced
- ¼ cup celery, finely diced
- ¼ cup peeled carrot, finely diced
- ¼ cup kimchi chopped into ¼” pieces (we like the Chi Kitchen brand)
- 2 Tbsp. grapeseed or other neutral oil
- 1 cup wild rice (we use Lundberg Wild Blend Rice)
- 2 ¾ cup vegetable stock (substitute with water)
- ¼ cup sliced scallion
- ½ cup sharp cheddar cheese, diced into ¼” pieces
- ½ tsp. fresh thyme
- 4 medium-sized zucchinis
- 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
- ½ tsp. freshly cracked black peppercorn
- 1 lemon cut into wedges
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese (we prefer authentic Parmigiano Reggiano with raw milk whenever possible)
Instructions
- In a two-quart saucepan, add grapeseed oil, onion, celery, carrots and ½ tsp. salt. Cook on medium heat until soft and translucent, about 4-5 minutes.
- Add wild rice, kimchi and vegetable stock. Bring to boil
- Once boiling, turn the heat to simmer or low. Cover tightly and let cook for 45-50 minutes. Check for tenderness of the rice.
- Once wild rice is cooked, remove from heat and leave covered for 5 minutes. It’s fine to have some liquid leftover in the pot. (Note: rice can be cooked a day ahead of time and stored in the fridge.)
- While rice is cooking, cut the zucchini into three sections, each about 2 ½” long. Then proceed with cutting the sections horizontally in half.
- Using a small spoon, carefully scoop out a channel of flesh in each piece of zucchini for the stuffing. Be careful not to remove too much flesh of zucchini.
- Chop the scooped-out zucchini and reserve in a bowl. Meanwhile, heat oven to 375 °F.
- Arrange the zucchini on a sheet pan and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Sprinkle zucchini with ¼ to ½ tsp. salt (based on your preference) and pepper.
- If there is liquid remaining with your rice, drain rice from liquid.
- In a mixing bowl, add cooled wild rice with scallions, thyme and cheddar cheese to bowl with leftover zucchini you scooped out. Mix all together.
- Fill each zucchini boat with a mound of wild rice filling. Place in oven for 12-15 minutes.
- Remove from oven and grate Parmesan cheese over each zucchini boat. Serve with lemon wedges and sprinkle juice over zucchini boats as desired.
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