Mushroom walnut stuffed zucchini are the perfect vegan dinner or side dish! These vegan stuffed zucchini taste just like pizza and are so easy to make! Just 30 minutes and you have a healthy, filling meal.
Why this recipe works
- Stuffed zucchini are the perfect way to use up the surplus of summer zucchini! They are packed with flavor and so simple to make!
- These vegan stuffed zucchini are stuffed with a mixture of mushrooms and walnuts. These zucchini taste just like pizza and will for sure be a kid favorite!
- Naturally gluten free and dairy free, these stuffed zucchini are also paleo, Whole30 and low carb! Perfect for entertaining or meal prep!
What are the steps to making vegetarian stuffed zucchini?
While the zucchini boats are softening in the oven, you can make the mushroom walnut stuffing on the stove so you can get dinner on the table in less than 30 minutes.
How to prepare zucchini for stuffing
- Start by cutting the top and bottom off of the zucchini.
- Cut the zucchini in half lengthwise.
- Using a spoon, gently scrape down the inside of the zucchini, removing the seeds, being careful not to poke through the skin.
NOTE: IF you want to make this a zero waste recipe, you can freeze the seeds that you remove and add them to smoothies, sauces, soups or homemade broths.
- Once the zucchini have all been cut and de-seeded, place them in a casserole dish and sprinkle them with salt. Bake in a preheated 400F oven for 15-20 minutes to soften.
How to prepare the mushroom walnut stuffing
Start by preheating a large skillet over medium heat. Slice the mushrooms and add them to the hot skillet, cooking 4-5 minutes. Don’t salt the mushrooms immediately.
You will notice the mushrooms start to give off all of their liquid while cooking. After about 5 minutes in a hot skillet, you can add the salt and continue to cook the mushrooms until they are no longer giving off water and are starting to brown.
Once the mushrooms start to brown, add thyme, tomato paste, balsamic vinegar, coconut aminos, walnuts to the mushrooms. Stir the mixture well, making sure the mushrooms and walnuts get well incorporated.
Reduce the heat to medium low and add the arugula (or spinach or kale) and allow the mixture to cook, until the arugula begins to wilt (about 2 minutes).
Remove the mushroom walnut stuffing from the heat.
After the zucchini has been cooking in the oven for 15-20 minutes, remove them from the oven.
Carefully scoop the mushroom stuffing mixture into the zucchini boats.
Once all the zucchini are filled, return the stuffed zucchini to the oven for 5 minutes to bake.
FAQ’s
Can this recipe be doubled or tripled?
Yes! This recipe would easily double, you will just need to have 2 casserole dishes for the zucchini to cook in. The mushrooms may also take an extra few minutes to cook down if you cook a double batch at once.
Can these paleo zucchini boats be made ahead of time?
Yes! You can make these stuffed zucchini boats up to 4 days in advance. Store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. To reheat these stuffed zucchini boats, you can use the oven, an air fryer or the microwave.
Can you freeze zucchini boats?
You can make the stuffing for the zucchini boats ahead of time and freeze that for up to 2 months. I would not recommend freezing the zucchini boats once they are cooked since zucchini tends to get very watery and mushy when defrosting it.
Substitutions:
Walnuts can be substituted with:
Coconut aminos are a common soy-free substitute for soy sauce. If you cannot find coconut aminos and can tolerate soy, you could use a gluten free tamari in place of the coconut aminos.
Arugula can be substituted with baby spinach or chopped kale!
What can you serve with these vegan stuffed zucchini boats?
- Shaved brussel sprouts salad
- Salad with Creamy balsamic dressing
- Top with Vegan Cashew Arugula Pesto
- Mushroom Soup
- Cannellini Bean Salad
- Balsamic Roasted Cauliflower
If you love this zucchini recipe you should try:
- Mexican Stuffed Zucchini Boats (vegan, Whole30)
- Paleo Zucchini Avocado Dip (vegan, Whole30)
- Zucchini Crust Pizza
- Greek Zoodle Bowl
- Mint Chocolate Protein Smoothie
Mushroom Walnut Stuffed Zucchini
Ingredients
- 3 large zucchini, halved
- 16 oz white mushrooms, sliced
- 3/4 tsp salt, divided
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tbsp organic tomato paste
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 2 tbsp coconut aminos - or tamari
- 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
- 1 cup organic arugula
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F.
- Slice the zucchini in half the long way, creating 2 long halves. Using a spoon, spoon out the seeds by running the spoon down the center, applying pressure to carve out the center area. This will leave a cavity to be filled with stuffing.
- Place the zucchini on a baking sheet and sprinkle them with 1/4 tsp. of salt. Bake at 400F for 15 minutes.
- While the zucchini are baking, slice the mushrooms and add them to a large skillet over medium high heat.
- Cook the mushrooms 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Don't salt the mushrooms right away.
- After 4-5 minutes, add 1/2 tsp. salt and continue to cook until the mushrooms have released all of their water and have wilted down and started to brown.
- Add the rest of the ingredients to the mushrooms and cook over medium low heat until the liquid has cooked off (about 2-3 minutes) and arugula has wilted.
- After 15 minutes, the zucchini should have softened in the oven. Remove them from the oven and divide the mushroom mixture between them.
- Return the stuffed zucchini to the oven for 5 additional minutes.
- Serve hot
Notes
- Yes! This recipe would easily double, you will just need to have 2 casserole dishes for the zucchini to cook in. The mushrooms may also take an extra few minutes to cook down if you cook a double batch at once.
- Yes! You can make these stuffed zucchini boats up to 4 days in advance. Store them in a airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. To reheat these stuffed zucchini boats, you can use the oven, an air fryer or the microwave.
- You can make the stuffing for the zucchini boats ahead of time and freeze that for up to 2 months. I would not recommend freezing the zucchini boats once they are cooked, since zucchini tends to get very watery and mushy when defrosting it.
- Chopped pecans
- Chopped almonds
- Hemp heart
- Pumpkin seeds
- Sunflower seeds
Nutrition Information
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Update Notes: This recipe was originally posted in March 2018, but was published again in July 2019 to include step by step directions, recipe notes and new photos.
Kim
Very yummy. I used hemp seeds in place of walnuts and spinach in place of arugula. Very tasty.
lacey
I love mushrooms and this is such a fun wayto eat them.