Cannellini Stuffed Zucchini with Tomatoes and Pecorino
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Recipe type: Entree/Side Dish
Serves: 6-8
Ingredients
  • Stewed Beans:
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • ½ cup finely chopped pancetta
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 3 dried hot red chilies
  • 1 teaspoon finely chopped rosemary
  • 1 teaspoon finely chopped sage
  • 1 28-ounce can crushed Italian tomatoes (I used San Marzano)
  • 2 15.5-ounce cans of cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 teaspoon finely chopped marjoram
  • Freshly-ground black pepper
  • Zucchini Boats:
  • 4 large zucchinis
  • ½ cup non-fat Greek yogurt
  • ⅓ cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese
  • Freshly-ground black pepper
  • Extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling
Instructions
  1. Stewed Beans:
  2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add pancetta and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until fat is rendered.
  3. Turn heat to medium. Add the onion, garlic and chilies and cook, stirring frequently, until the onion is softened and just starting to brown, 8 minutes.
  4. Stir in the rosemary and sage and cook until fragrant, 1 minute. Add the tomatoes with their juices and bring just to a simmer. Then, add the beans to the skillet and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, about 7 minutes. Remove the chilies unless you have someone in your household who likes to chomp on red hot chilies (I do).
  5. Stir in the marjoram and freshly-ground black pepper to taste. At this point, you can serve the beans as a side dish. However, if you would like to make the zucchini boats, read on.
  6. Zucchini Boats:
  7. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
  8. Cut each zucchini in half, vertically. Then, use a small ice cream scooper or a melon baller to scoop out the seeds and insides of each zucchini.
  9. Mix the Greek yogurt into the stewed beans. Next, fill each zucchini with ⅓ cup of the bean and yogurt mixture.
  10. Sprinkle the Pecorino cheese evenly across each zucchini boat. Finally, top with freshly-ground black pepper to taste and a drizzle of olive oil.
  11. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until zucchini is tender.
  12. NOTE: You will use approximately half of the beans for the zucchini boats, which means you will have leftovers beans which you can eat as a side dish, make more boats or get creative like I did!
Recipe by Healthy Recipe Ecstasy at https://www.healthyrecipeecstasy.com/cannellini-stuffed-zucchini-with-tomatoes-and-pecorino/