Black Bean & Quinoa Stuffed Zucchini with Sundried Tomato Feta Cream

Zucchini is one of my favorite summer vegetables, and I went a little crazy at the farmer’s market this week when I saw how delicious they looked now that they are in season. We usually enjoy it sauteed with just a little olive oil and garlic or baked in whole wheat quick bread, but I wanted to do something a little different. While I originally intended to stuff chicken breasts with this sundried tomato feta cream sauce, I instead decided to use it as a filling for the zucchini. I spread a thin layer of the sauce inside each zucchini boat, followed by a fluffy quinoa and black bean stuffing. After tasting these amazing stuffed zucchini, I knew I had made the right choice. The sundried tomato feta cream turns this tasty but otherwise fairly ordinary side dish into something really special. We enjoyed these as a side dish for dinner, and I happily made a meal out of the leftovers for lunch the next day. The complex carbs, protein, and fiber in this dish make it an awesome healthy side dish or main course option for vegetarians.

Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

45 mins

by: Jessica @ FabFitMommy.com

Serves: 6

Ingredients

½ cup crumbled feta cheese
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons plain, nonfat Greek yogurt
8 fresh basil leaves, finely sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup sundried tomatoes in olive oil, drained and patted dry
the juice of half a lemon
3 large zucchini
1 tbs olive oil
1 yellow bell pepper; stemmed, seeded and diced
¼ cup diced yellow onion
½ cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup cooked quinoa
2 tbs fat free chicken broth
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
In a food processor, combine the feta cheese, ¼ cup of the Greek yogurt, 4 basil leaves, 1 clove of garlic, half of the sundried tomatoes, and the juice of half a lemon. Process until smooth. It should be a thick but spreadable consistency at this point.
Wash and pat the zucchini dry. Slice them in half lengthwise and horizontally. You should have 12 pieces of zucchini. Use a spoon to scrape the seeds and some of the meat out of each zucchini quarter, leaving a little zucchini “boat” that you can stuff with filling and cheese. Spread about half a tablespoon of the feta cheese in each zucchini boat. Combine the remaining two tablespoons of yogurt with any remaining feta mixture and process until smooth – this will be used as a sauce to drizzle over the stuffed zucchini after they bake.
In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Finely dice the remaining sundried tomatoes. Add the diced yellow onion bell pepper and and saute until the onion is translucent, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the remaining clove of minced garlic and diced sundried tomatoes and saute an additional minute or two, just until fragrant. Stir in the black beans, quinoa, oregano and chicken broth. Salt and pepper to taste and mix well to combine the ingredients.
Divide the quinoa mixture evenly among the zucchini boats and pack firmly. Place the stuffed zucchini boats in a shallow baking dish. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the zucchini is tender but still crisp. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 to 10 minutes in the pan before serving with the feta yogurt sauce.