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–+ servings
Stuffed Zucchini

Middle Eastern Style Stuffed Zucchini in Potato & Eggplant Stew

5 from 1 vote
Bring out the best in this delicious vegetable, the white zucchini, by pairing it with Middle Eastern spices and cooking it in a potato and eggplant stew. Serve it with a refreshing yogurt sauce and aromatic garlic butter. All vegan, of course. 
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Author: Seiran Sinjari | Legally Plant Based
Servings: 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 8 small white zucchini

For the filling:

  • 85 g short grain rice - rinsed & drained
  • 25 g walnuts - finely chopped
  • 1 small bunch dill - finely chopped
  • 1 small bunch parsley - finely chopped
  • 2 green onions - finely chopped
  • 1 small yellow onion - finely chopped
  • 1 tomato - finely chopped
  • 2-3 garlic cloves - minced
  • 2 tsp seven spice blend
  • ½ - 1 tsp Aleppo pepper - or other mild chili flakes
  • 1 tsp dried mint
  • ½ - 1 tsp salt - more or less to taste
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 35 ml olive oil
  • 1 lemon juiced - more or less to taste
  • 2 tbsp pomegranate molasses

For the stew:

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 small yellow onion - finely chopped
  • 3 tbsp tomato paste
  • 350 g new potatoes or waxy potatoes - roughly chopped
  • 1 eggplant - cubed
  • 2 fresh tomatoes - blended
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tsp seven spice blend
  • 1/2 tsp Aleppo pepper
  • 1 tsp ground sumac
  • 1 tbsp veggie stock powder
  • 2 tbsp pomegranate molasses
  • 500 ml boiling water

For the garlic butter:

  • 6 cloves of garlic - peeled
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 4 tbsp vegan butter
  • salt to taste if using unsalted butter

For the yogurt sauce (optional):

  • 1 cucumber - grated or finely chopped (finely chopped celery, lettuce or purslane can also be used instead of cucumber)
  • 500 g unsweetened thick/strained vegan yogurt or vegan Greek style yogurt
  • 2-3 garlic cloves - minced
  • 1 tsp dried mint - more or less to taste, should preferably not be replaced with fresh mint as it tastes very different
  • salt to taste

Instructions

  • Mix together all ingredients for the filling in a large bowl. You can taste some of the filling without chewing the raw rice. Adjust salt, seasoning and lemon to taste.
  • Trim the zucchini ends (save the ends for later) and core the zucchini with a zucchini/vegetable corer or a small knife. Core out as much as possible without piercing the walls and save it for later. Delicious to fry in some olive oil with onions and spices, serve with bread for brunch or breakfast.
  • Use a small teaspoon to stuff the zucchini with the filling and push the filling down with your fingers. Fill them up but don’t pack the filling too tightly. Use the zucchini trimmings to seal, if they don’t fit you can trim them a little.
  • To prepare the stew, add olive oil to a medium sized pot over medium heat. Add onions and fry until translucent, add potatoes, eggplant and tomato paste and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes. Add all remaining ingredients and bring to a boil.
  • Carefully add the zucchinis to the stew, arrange them in a circle with the ends pointing towards the center. Cover and let simmer over low heat for 1 - 1.5 hours.
  • If you want the stew to thicken, remove the zucchini from the stew, bring up the heat and cook uncovered for a few minutes. If you want it to be more soupy you can add some boiling water or vegetable stock, adjust seasoning in that case.
  • To prepare yogurt sauce (optional), squeeze out some of the liquid of the cucumber if you want a thick sauce, if you want it more runny, keep it.
  • Place yogurt, cucumber (or the veggie you’re using), garlic, dried mint and salt in a bowl. Mix well, add more salt/garlic/dried mint to taste.
  • Store covered in fridge until serving.
  • Prepare garlic butter before plating. Smash the garlic cloves with a pestle or knife blade against a chopping board. Add olive oil and butter to a pan over medium heat, when butter has melted, add the garlic. Cook while stirring over medium-low heat until fragrant and the garlic is starting to brown a little around the edges and the butter is foamy.
  • Plate the stew, place the zucchini on top and pour the garlic butter on top of them. Serve with the yogurt sauce (optional).

Notes

Find more of Seiran’s recipes at @legallyplantbased.
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