Quick facts

  • Servings: 2
  • Total time: about 1 hour
  • Prep time: 20 minutes
  • Cooking time: 40 minutes
  • Equipment: pot, frying pan, baking dish, aluminum foil (or a lid for the dish), knife, teaspoon for scooping, fork

Ingredients

  • 2 large zucchini
  • 1/2 small to medium onion
  • 1/2 large carrot
  • 1/2 stalk of celery
  • 75g (2.6 oz) tempeh
  • 50g (1.8 oz) vegan mozzarella (I use Veggarella or Mezzarè)
  • 1.5 tablespoons white wine
  • 1 sprig of rosemary
  • 1/2 clove of garlic, core removed
  • 1/5 teaspoon of flour
  • 4 tablespoons water (2 to dissolve the flour, 2 to add if the filling dries out)
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus 1 teaspoon to grease the dish
  • ½ teaspoon fine salt (a generous ¼ for the filling, a scant ¼ inside the zucchini)
  • 4 turns of the pepper mill
  • (Optional) 2 slices of bread, to serve on the side

Method

  1. Put a saucepan of salted water on the heat and bring it to a boil.

  2. Prep the zucchini: wash the 2 zucchini and cut them in half lengthwise. Using the tip of a knife, score the flesh all the way around, about half a centimeter (¼ inch) from the skin: this gives you a guide line so you leave enough flesh around the edges and the zucchini keep their shape. Then gently scoop out the inside with a teaspoon, following the cut, and set the flesh aside.

  3. Blanch the hollowed-out zucchini halves: get your timer ready and set it to:

    • 3 minutes 30 seconds for light-colored zucchini
    • 4 minutes 30 seconds for dark ones

    When the water is boiling, drop in the zucchini and start the timer. When it goes off, do the “fork test”: gently prick the skin. If the fork goes in without much resistance but the zucchini doesn’t fall apart, it’s the perfect moment to drain them. If you still feel some resistance, let them cook for another 30 seconds and then drain them.

  4. Chop the vegetables: roughly chop the zucchini flesh and set it aside. Then finely chop half an onion, half a carrot and half a stalk of celery.

  5. Turn the oven on to 180°C (356°F) and start the base (soffritto): heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a frying pan with half a clove of garlic (core removed) and 1 sprig of rosemary, then add the chopped vegetables and cook over medium-low heat until softened, taking care not to let them brown too much.

  6. Add the zucchini flesh and 75g (2.6 oz) of crumbled tempeh, then a generous ¼ teaspoon of salt and 4 turns of the pepper mill, and let it cook for a few minutes so the flavors come together. Deglaze with 1.5 tablespoons of wine and let the alcohol cook off.

  7. Bind the filling: dissolve 1/5 teaspoon of flour in 2 tablespoons of water and add it to the pan. Stir and keep cooking until the filling has thickened but is still soft, adding 1 tablespoon of water at a time if it starts to dry out too much. Remove the garlic and the sprig of rosemary, add 50g (1.8 oz) of vegan mozzarella and stir.

  8. Fill the zucchini: arrange them in a baking dish greased with 1 teaspoon of oil, season the insides with a scant ¼ teaspoon of salt and spoon all the filling into the hollows.

  9. Bake at 180°C (356°F) for 20 minutes with the dish covered, then uncover and bake for another 20 minutes, until the zucchini are tender and the filling is lightly browned on top.

baked zucchini