These Mushroom and Hummus Zucchini Boats are truly tried, tested, and oh so good!
Melted, gooey cheese, juicy mushrooms, and slightly crunchy zucchini. Yum! Like this Puff Pastry Breakfast Roulade, it's perfect as a dinner appetizer, as a side dish, or even as a fancy breakfast (with eggs on the side?).
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.
Jump to:
Ingredients
- Zucchini: You can use any type of zuccchini, but I like using the white ones because they are smaller in size and are perfect for the appetizer. Choose zucchinis similar in size. A good zucchini should be firm, shiny, and free of cuts.
- Mushrooms: Any type of mushroom will work, but I like using the common button mushrooms. Just make sure not to use the harder textured, chewy mushrooms, such as King Oyster.
- Hummus: This is a dip/spread made from cooked, mashed chickpeas, ground sesame seeds, lemon juice, olive oil, and garlic. The dish is filled with nutrients, protein, healthy fiber, and healthy fats. You can use a store-bought one or make one yourself! This is a great hummus recipe by Love and Lemons.
- Cheese: Shredded Mozzarella Cheese or Cheddar Cheese works great in this recipe. It stretches the best!
see the recipe card at the end of the post for the full infredient list and quantities.
Substitutions and variations
- Hummus: if you're not a hummus fan you may like to use tahini, mayonnaise, or greek yogurt instead.
- Add protein: you may also like to add some chopped sauteed bacon or bacon bits, or a little bit of ground beef, chicken, or turkey.
- Make it dairy-free: use cashew-based cheeses, or other dairy-free cheeses that melt well.
Preparation
STEP 1: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
STEP 2: Core the zucchini
Trim off each zucchini stem and blossom ends and discard. Slice the zucchini in half, lengthwise and place skin side down on the lined sheet pan. Using a teaspoon, remove the core with the seeds. Place the cored zucchini halves back on the sheet pan and the zucchini core in a large non-stick pan.
STEP 3: Season, grease, and bake
Sprinkle each zucchini half with salt and, using a baking or silicone brush, brush each half with with olive oil. Place in oven, on the middle rack, and bake for approximately 10 minutes or until lightly softened.
STEP 4: Prepare the mixture
While the zucchini is in the oven, add olive oil and sliced mushrooms to the pan with the zucchini cores and sauté over medium-high heat, until the liquid from the mushrooms has evaporated and the mushrooms have browned slightly. Sprinkle with salt and stir in garlic powder and hummus.
STEP 5: Stuff the zucchini
Take the zucchini out of the oven (but don't turn it off, you'll need it shortly) and generously spoon the mushroom and hummus mixture into each zucchini boat.
STEP 6: Top with grated cheese
Sprinkle grated cheese over each zucchini half.
STEP 7: Bake
Place the stuffed zucchini halves back into the oven and bake until the cheese has melted and slightly browned. Garnish with cilantro or other herbs before serving.
Top Tips
- Try to select zucchini that are similar in size so that they cook evenly.
- When hollowing out the zucchinis, leave about ¼ inch of flesh around the edges to maintain structure. Be careful not to scoop out too much, as the boats need to hold the filling without collapsing.
- When you precook the zucchini, bake them until they are just starting to soften. Overcooking at this stage can result in mushy zucchinis after the final baking with the filling.
- Taste the mushroom filling before stuffing it in the zucchini. Make sure it is well-seasoned with salt and garlic powder. Mushrooms absorb flavors well, so don't be afraid to season generously.
- Keep an eye on the zucchini boats while they're baking to prevent overcooking. They're done when the cheese is melted and bubbly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can prepare the hollowed-out zucchini boats in advance and store them in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours before filling and baking. This can help save time when you're ready to cook.
It is possible to freeze the stuffed zucchini boats, but the texture may change slightly upon reheating, especially with the zucchini becoming softer. If you do freeze them, wrap each stuffed boat tightly in plastic wrap and aluminum foil before placing them in an airtight container. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating in the oven.
Store any leftover stuffed zucchini boats in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat them in the oven until heated through, about 10 minutes.
Absolutely! Feel free to customize the filling with additional ingredients such as diced bell peppers, onions, spinach, or a little bit of cooked grains like couscous, quinoa or rice. Just make sure to adjust the salt accordingly.
Serving suggestions
Serve the Mushroom and Hummus Zucchini Boats warm or at room temperature. It's great as an appetizer and can be served with a delicious salad such as this Sweet and Crunchy Beet Salad or this Chicken Salad with Apples and Cranberries. I also love serving these Slow Cooker Sweet Duck Legs at a dinner gathering because they turn out fall-off-the-bone tender and don't take much effort to make. This Curried Rice Sautee will also complement the dish.
Try these appetizers too
If you tried this Mushroom and Hummus Zucchini Boats recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Recipe
Mushroom and Hummus Zucchini Boats
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 white zucchinis
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste, divided
- 2 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 1 pound button mushrooms sliced
- 1 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons hummus
- 1 cup Mozzarella cheese grated - divided
- 1 tablespoon cilantro chopped, to garnish - you can also use parsley or dill to garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Trim off each zucchini stem and blossom ends and discard. Slice each zucchini in half, lengthwise and place them skin side down on the lined sheet pan.
- Using a teaspoon, remove the core with the seeds. As you remove the core place each half back on the sheet pan and place the zucchini core in a large non-stick pan.
- Sprinkle each zucchini half with salt and, using a baking or silicone brush, brush each half with a little of the olive oil. Place in oven, on the middle rack, and bake for approximately 10 minutes or until lightly softened.
- While the zucchini is in the oven, add the remaining olive oil and sliced mushrooms to the pan with the zucchini cores and sauté over medium-high heat, until the liquid from the mushrooms has evaporated and the mushrooms have browned slightly. Sprinkle with the remaining salt and stir in the garlic powder and hummus.
- Take the zucchini out of the oven (but don't turn it off, you'll need it shortly) and generously spoon the mushroom and hummus mixture into each zucchini boat.
- Sprinkle grated cheese over each zucchini half, place them back into the oven, and bake until the cheese has melted and slightly browned.
- Garnish with cilantro or other herbs before serving.
Notes
- Try to select zucchini that are similar in size so that they cook evenly.
- When hollowing out the zucchini, leave about ¼ inch of flesh around the edges to maintain structure. Be careful not to scoop out too much, as the boats need to hold the filling without collapsing.
- When you precook the zucchini, bake them until they are just starting to soften. Overcooking at this stage can result in mushy zucchinis after the final baking with the filling.
- Taste the mushroom filling before stuffing it in the zucchini. Make sure it is well-seasoned with salt and garlic powder. Mushrooms absorb flavors well, so don't be afraid to season generously.
- Keep an eye on the zucchini boats while they're baking to prevent overcooking. They're done when the cheese is melted and bubbly.
Comments
No Comments