Zucchini Boats is a dish my mom often made when I was a kid. I liked the combination of the zucchini, rice, minced meat, and all that cheese on top a lot. The Zucchini Boats I made here today are equally delicious but made without any dairy products or meat. Thanks to “fake meat” (no fake news) and “fake cheese” you can still make something that gets very close to the original. Even the rice is “fake” because it’s actually spelt… ;P
Some of you have probably tried plant-based “meat” before… even though most of us are not on a vegan diet. Substitutes for meat have been booming in recent years. The company that came up with the first vegan burger meat was (and still is) very successful with its products. I can still remember the first time I tried a vegan burger several years ago – which tasted (almost) like a burger with real meat. It’s pretty amazing what you can do with veggies, right? ;)
Nowadays you can find a hundred different substitute products in supermarkets – everything from fake ground beef for veggie burgers or a “meaty” pasta sauce to meatless “chicken” nuggets or vegan “fish” fillets. It’s a lot. Most of the products are ready to use, some have to be mixed with water first so you can use them in a recipe. If you ever wanted to go vegan, it’s probably the easiest right now for you. Not even to mention the vegan restaurants that pop up everywhere these days…
Even though it’s easy now to use vegan products in your daily diet… “all that glisters is not gold” (William Shakespeare). Sure, it’s convenient to have all the options, but you really have to take a close look at what you are buying. Even though the substitute products are all plant-based, the list of ingredients/additives is sometimes quite long. Artificial flavors, thickeners, etc. – those products are also often criticized for being heavily seasoned and that there is too much salt added. You really have to check each product you want to buy – and if there is something on the list you think is weird… don’t buy it. There are tons of reports online where people tested various products and compared them… you can find a lot when you google it ;)
For me, to be honest, a meat substitute is not really a full replacement. It’s an option if you want to switch up things here and there. Using fake meat for a burger or in a recipe like this one here is fine, but I don’t think it’s a permanent solution if you want to go vegan but still want your food to be the same (same look, feel and taste) as it was before. You know what I mean? Having a critical opinion about meat substitutes doesn’t mean that these zucchini boats are not delicious – don’t get me wrong here ;) It’s ok to use those products if you like them. I would just not use them all the time ;P
Anyway. Check what’s available, make an educated choice, and then get to work on the zucchini. As mentioned before – instead of rice I used cooked spelt here. If you don’t like that or can’t find it in your supermarket you can use regular rice, of course, but also bulgur or quinoa. All fine here.
This recipe here is another dish for the “Vegan Bake Together” week, which Andrea aka. Zimtkeks & Apfeltarte and I are doing this January. One whole week packed with vegan recipes – a new one each day. Everything from breakfast to snacks and cakes. You can get more information about our special week in the article for the first day: Vegan Breakfast Bowls with Vegan Scramble Eggs.
Vegan Bake Together Week with Zimtkeks & Apfeltarte
Monday: Vegan Breakfast Bowl with vegan scrambled eggs
Tuesday: Vegan Cinnamon Energy Balls
Wednesday: Vegan Stew with Coconut, Pumpkin & Legumes
Thursday: Vegan Stuffed Zucchini with Spelt and Veggie Meat
Friday: Simple Vegan Brownie Cookies
Saturday: Vegan Dessert à la Tiramisù
Sunday: Vegan Carrot Cake with “Cream Cheese” Frosting
INGREDIENTS / ZUTATEN
(3 servings)
5.3 oz. (150g) cooked spelt* (quinoa, rice, bulgur, etc. works as well)
3-4 tbsp. olive oil
1 red onion, chopped
3-4 garlic cloves, chopped
8.8 oz. (250g) vegan minced meat (e.g. based on soy beans*)
1 tbsp. tomato paste
1/2 cup (120ml) vegetable broth
1 tsp. oregano
salt, pepper
8.8 oz. (250g) cherry tomatoes, quartered
3 medium zucchini, cut in half lengthwise
3.5 oz. (100g) vegan grated cheese*
some chopped parsley
(3 Portionen)
150g Dinkel (wie Reis)*, gekocht (es geht auch Quinoa, Reis, Bulgur, etc.)
3-4 EL Olivenöl
1 rote Zwiebel, gehackt
3-4 Knoblauchzehen, gehackt
250g veganes Hack”fleisch” (z.B. auf Sojabasis*)
1 EL Tomatenmark
120ml Gemüsebrühe
1 TL Oregano
Salz, Pfeffer
250g Cherrytomaten, geviertelt
3 mittelgroße Zucchini, längs halbiert
100g veganer Streukäse*
etwas gehackte Petersilie
DIRECTIONS / ZUBEREITUNG
1. Prepare the spelt according to the package instructions – you can use the one that you boil with water or one you only heat up in the microwave. In the end, you need 5.3 oz. (150g) of spelt that has been cooked. Set aside. Peel and finely chop the onion and garlic. Wash the tomatoes, dry them, and cut them into quarters. Also set aside.
2. Preheat the oven to 390°F (200°C). Lightly grease a baking sheet or line with baking parchment. Wash and dry the zucchini and cut them in half lengthwise. Using a spoon, remove the insides, leaving a small border – about 0.2 inch. Place on the prepared baking sheet and set aside. You can chop some of the zucchini flesh and add it to the stuffing later if you like.
3. Heat up a frying pan with about 2 tbsp. of olive oil and sauté the chopped onion and garlic. Add the vegan minced meat and cook until slightly browned. When everything has gotten some color, add the tomato paste and continue cooking a bit, then deglaze with the vegetable broth. Season well with oregano, salt, and pepper. Depending on the minced meat you might have to season less because some products are already heavily seasoned. Add the chopped tomatoes (and if you like some zucchini meat) and let everything simmer for 5 minutes. Add the cooked spelt and mix in.
4. Divide the filling among the hollowed-out zucchini and fill them generously. Sprinkle the zucchini boats with the cheese (substitute), drizzle with a little olive oil, and then bake for about 25-30 minutes. Place the zucchini boats on plates, sprinkle with some chopped parsley and serve with some hummus or a side salad as desired.
1. Den Dinkel nach Packungsanleitung zubereiten – ihr könnt den nehmen, den man mit Wasser aufkocht, oder einen, den man in der Mikrowelle erwärmt. Am Ende braucht ihr 150g aufgeqollenen/gekochten Dinkel. Zur Seite stellen. Die Zwiebel und den Knoblauch schälen und fein hacken. Die Tomaten waschen, trocknen und dann vierteln. Ebenfalls zur Seite stellen.
2. Den Ofen auf 200°C (390°F) Ober-/Unterhitze vorheizen. Ein Backblech leicht einfetten oder mit Backpapier auslegen. Die Zucchini waschen, trocknen und der Länge nach halbieren. Mit einem Löffel die Innereien entfernen und dabei einen kleinen Rand stehen lassen – etwa 1/2 cm. Auf das vorbereitete Blech setzen und zur Seite stellen. Ihr könnt einen Teil des Zucchini-Fleisches klein schneiden und später mit in die Füllung geben, wenn ihr wollt.
3. Eine Pfanne mit 2 EL vom Olivenöl erhitzen und darin dann die gehackte Zwiebel und den Knoblauch darin anschwitzen. Das vegane Hack dazugeben und gut anbraten. Wenn alles etwas Farbe bekommen hat, das Tomatenmark dazugeben und kurz mit anbraten lassen, dann mit der Gemüsebrühe ablöschen. Mit Oregano, Salz und Pfeffer kräftig würzen – sollte das vegane Hack schon stark gewürzt sein, eventuell etwas vorsichtiger würzen. Die kleingeschnittenen Tomaten (und ggf. etwas Zucchini-Fleisch) dazugeben und alles für 5 Minuten köcheln lassen. Den gekochten Dinkel dazugeben und alles gut vermischen
4. Die Füllung dann auf die ausgehöhlten Zucchini verteilen – packt ruhig ordentlich was rein. Die Zucchini Boote mit dem Käse (-ersatz) bestreuen, mit etwas Olivenöl beträufeln und dann für etwa 25-30 Minuten backen. Die heißen Zucchiniboote auf Teller setzen, mit etwas gehackter Petersilie bestreuen und nach Belieben mit etwas Hummus oder einem Beilagensalat servieren.
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Here is a version of the recipe you can print easily.
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Vegan Zucchini Boats with Spelt & Fake Meat
- Prep Time: 00:20
- Cook Time: 00:25
- Total Time: 01:00
- Yield: 3 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Cuisine: International
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Eating vegan gets easier every day with all the alternatives you can get in stores now. “Fake Meat” has been used for these Vegan Zucchini Boats, for example. Delicious!
Ingredients
5.3 oz. (150g) cooked spelt* (quinoa, rice, bulgur, etc. works as well)
3-4 tbsp. olive oil
1 red onion, chopped
3-4 garlic cloves, chopped
8.8 oz. (250g) vegan minced meat*
1 tbsp. tomato paste*
1/2 cup (120ml) vegetable broth*
1 tsp. oregano
salt, pepper
8.8 oz. (250g) cherry tomatoes, quartered
3 medium zucchini, cut in half lengthwise
3.5 oz. (100g) vegan grated cheese*
some chopped parsley
Instructions
1. Prepare the spelt according to the package instructions – you can use the one that you boil with water or one you only heat up in the microwave. In the end, you need 5.3 oz. (150g) of spelt that has been cooked. Set aside. Peel and finely chop the onion and garlic. Wash the tomatoes, dry them, and cut them into quarters. Also set aside.
2. Preheat the oven to 390°F (200°C). Lightly grease a baking sheet or line with baking parchment. Wash and dry the zucchini and cut them in half lengthwise. Using a spoon, remove the insides, leaving a small border – about 0.2 inch. Place on the prepared baking sheet and set aside. You can chop some of the zucchini flesh and add it to the stuffing later if you like.
3. Heat up a frying pan with about 2 tbsp. of olive oil and sauté the chopped onion and garlic. Add the vegan minced meat and cook until slightly browned. When everything has gotten some color, add the tomato paste and continue cooking a bit, then deglaze with the vegetable broth. Season well with oregano, salt, and pepper. Depending on the minced meat you might have to season less because some products are already heavily seasoned. Add the chopped tomatoes (and if you like some zucchini meat) and let everything simmer for 5 minutes. Add the cooked spelt and mix in.
4. Divide the filling among the hollowed-out zucchini and fill them generously. Sprinkle the zucchini boats with the cheese (substitute), drizzle with a little olive oil, and then bake for about 25-30 minutes. Place the zucchini boats on plates, sprinkle with some chopped parsley and serve with some hummus or a side salad as desired.
Notes
Enjoy cooking!
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