Stuffed Round Courgettes

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

Jump to Recipe Jump to Step by Step Video Print Recipe

Easy to make, the stuffed round courgettes are a balanced meal for a healthy family dinner. Even the children will happily eat their veg here.

Jump to:

What zucchini to use
Ingredients for the stuffing
How to prepare the Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
How to prepare the courgettes
Preparing the stuffing
Tips for making the best-stuffed courgette
How to serve the stuffed courgette
Recipes with zucchini you may also like
📋 Stuffed Round Courgettes

What zucchini to use

For this recipe I like to use round zucchini as they are easy to fill, but you can also use long zucchini cut lengthwise.

Whatever zucchini you will be using this is a very easy recipe you can make ahead of time. It is a complete meal with vegs, proteins and carbs.

You can serve it with baked potatoes, a potato salad, or some baked rice and a healthy meal is ready on the table.

Besides zucchini, you can also use peppers, tomatoes or onions, in French they are called petit farcis.

Ingredients for the stuffing

The stuffing is a mix of meat and breadcrumbs. Here I use minced beef, but you can also use a mix of beef and pork.

I always use Italian seasoned breadcrumbs in many of my recipes, that is why I usually prepare a large amount and keep it in the freezer. They don’t need to be defrosted ahead of time.

If you want to know more about it you can read the article: Grated Parmesan and Breadcrumbs. also check out the article: Once a Month Freezer Meal Prep to find out what else I keep in my freezer.

I always keep the stale bread aside and when I have time I prepare the breadcrumbs and freeze it. Here are the ingredients I use in proportion to 3 cups of grated stale bread:

3 cups of grated stale bread
1/2 cup of parmesan
1/2 cup of basil leaves or parsley
1 garlic cloves

If you are making it only for this recipe use the amount listed on the recipe card below

How to prepare the Italian seasoned breadcrumbs

Greate the parmesan in a shredder
Cut the stale bread in chunks small enough to fit in the shredder
Shredd the bread putting the garlic first so the bread absorbs the flavour
Take a cup of shredded breadcrumbs and blend it with the basil leaves (used shredded bread otherwise you risk to break the blender as the bread is too hard for a blender)
Add the shredded parmesan to the breadcrumbs
Then the breadcrumbs mixed with the basil

Following this procedure will minimize waste (like basil been stuck in the side of the blender, or parmesan left inside the shredder) and a perfect combination of flavours (the breadcrumbs absorbing the garlic and the basil)

It is best if the breadcrumbs rest overnight to absorbs all the flavours. If you freeze them you don’t have to worry about it and use them directly.

How to prepare the courgettes

Cut the top off the courgettes and with a spoon or a round vegetable scoop,
Dig the centre of the courgettes. Season them with salt and pepper.
Put the centre of the courgettes in a Braun Blender and mix with 4 tbsp of the breadcrumbs.
Oil the base of a baking dish. Dice the top of the courgettes, mix them with 3 tbsp of the zucchini centre and breadcrumb mix, then lay them in the baking dish, making a sort of base to assemble the courgettes on.

Preparing the stuffing

Mix the eggs, the finely chopped onion, lemon zest, mustard and the breadcrumbs together with the minced beef.
Fill the courgette with the mix and drizzle with olive oil.
Cook in the oven at 200°C for 40 minutes

Tips for making the best-stuffed courgette

Make sure the courgettes don’t have too many big seeds. If they do, do not use the centre
If you cannot find round courgette, you can use the long regular one. If they are too big don’t use the centre as there will be too many seeds
Make sure you season well the courgette, inside as well as outside
For a vegetarian version, you can use only bread crumbs mixed with onions

How to serve the stuffed courgette

Stuffed courgettes is a perfect summer main course when round courgettes are in season. You can prepare it ahead of time and cook it just before serving it.

You can serve it with a green salad, a tabbouleh or a fresh Italian potato salad. If you want to serve it with something warm, you can serve it with baked rice, or an easy gratin dauphinoise.

If you want to try the same stuffing on other vegetables you can check out the recipe: Petit farcis

Petit Farcis Stuffed Peppers Tomatoes Courgettes

Recipes with zucchini you may also like

For more zucchini recipes, check out the category: Vegetables

Also check the recipes below:

If you are making this Stuffed Round Courgette, leave your comment below I would like to hear from you. You can find more delicious ideas if you FOLLOW ME on Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest and Instagram or sign up to my newsletter.