Chorizo Stuffed Zucchini Boats

My friend Jeff went to visit his family in Tennesse and when he came back he brought with him some of the biggest zucchini that I have ever seen.  They were massive.  It almost seemed as if they were some result of a nuclear accident, as they were huge.  After I got over the shock of seeing the giant zucchini, we got down to business.  Jeff said that zucchini that are huge usually don’t have the best flavor, so we should use them as boats, or serving vessels for other ingredients.  I agreed and went to the store to pick up something to fill them with.  When I came back we had all of the fixins for chorizo stuffed zucchini boats.

Chorizo Stuffed Zucchini Boats

• 1 large zucchini
• 10-16 oz chorizo – Either ground or in links
• 8 oz bag of shredded chedder/jack cheese
• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
• 1 tbs garlic powder
• 1 tbs onion powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper

Look at the huge zucchini that Jeff’s grandpa grows.

Depending on the size of your zucchini, it may need a little cooking before you stuff it.   To cook just place the zucchini on the grill for about 2-3 minutes on each side.  Since Jeff had enormous zucchini, we had to cut them in half and grill each half.  Otherwise it would have taken 30-40 minutes to cook the zucchini.

While the zucchini is on the grill it is time to brown the chorizo.  If you can not find fresh ground chorizo, most markets have fresh chorizo sausage.  All you have to do remove the meat from the casing and you are all set.  Place the chorizo in a fry pan over medium/high heat.

Take the zucchini off the grill and let it cool for a couple of minutes.  When it is cool to the touch, it is time to core the zucchini.  Basically, take a spoon and hollow out the center and form a canoe shape with the zucchini.

Scoop about 3/4 cup to 1 cup of the zucchini into the chorizo pan.  The rest can either be saved or thrown away.  Now add the breadcrumbs, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper to the pan. Mix until the ingredients are fully incorporated.

Now it is time to assemble the boat.  Sprinkle cheese on the zucchini, then cover with the filling.  Once filled, sprinkle with more cheese.

Now wrap the boats in aluminum foil.

Make sure to not wrap them too tightly as the cheese with stick to the foil.  Place on a medium/high grill for 15-20 minutes.  Just long enough to melt and brown the cheese.

These boats were awesome.  Chorizo and zucchini go together surprisingly well.  Also when you cover things with cheese it helps to meld flavors.  They were cheap and easy to make.  Plus the meat hides the zucchini, so this would be great for kids.