Courgettes or zucchinis are one of my go-to vegetables in the summer. They are low in calories and have high water content. Courgettes are a tasty source of vitamins C and A, as well as potassium and folate, and additionally so versatile! They can be eaten raw or cooked (grilled, stuffed, added to stir-fries, soups or made into fritters). This Stuffed Courgette with Spicy Sweet Potato Fries is easy to make, it is so tender and delicious, and you can quickly prep it, using just a few ingredients from your fridge and pantry. Stuffing contains colourful veggies and herbs, such as sweetcorn, red bell pepper, scallions and dill.
Stuffed Courgette with Spicy Sweet Potato Fries
Prep time: 15 min
Baking time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Servings: 2
INGREDIENTS For the stuffed courgette: · 1 large courgette · 1 small courgette · ½ cup cooked orzo pasta · 1/3 cup sweetcorn (drained/thawed) · ½ red bell pepper · 1 scallion · 1/8 cup fresh dill (chopped) · salt and pepper to taste · 50g grated cheese For the sweet potato fries: · 1 sweet potato · salt, pepper, and powdered chilli to taste
· splash of olive oil
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat the oven to 200 °C / 180 °C fan/ gas 6. Wash the veggies in cold water.
2. Cook the orzo pasta according to the instructions on the packaging.
3. Cut the large courgette in half lengthways, scoop out the seeds, sprinkle over a pinch of salt, then set it aside.
4. Grate the small courgette – it should be a half a cup, but don’t be scared if it’s a bit more, you’ll have more stuffing!
5. Dice the bell pepper, thinly slice the scallion, grate the cheese, and cut the sweet potato into chunks. You can peel the sweet potato, but I wanted to keep the extra fibre.
6. Mix the cooked and drained orzo pasta with the grated courgette, sweetcorn, pepper, scallion, dill, and seasoning and spoon the mixture in the courgette boats. Sprinkle over the grated cheese and place it on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
7. Toss the sweet potato chunks with the spices and olive oil and place them next to the stuffed courgettes.
8. Cook them for 30 min or until the courgette becomes soft and the cheese golden brown.
For this recipe, I used orzo pasta but it works well with giant couscous, too. For a gluten-free version, I sometimes replace the pasta with cooked quinoa.
Tip: Serve it with fresh salad and dill yoghurt for a truly summery lunch!
Tip: If you love courgettes, you will like these Courgette and Sweetcorn Fritters.
Did you try this recipe?
Let me know how it went in the Comments below and share a photo on Instagram with the tag: #madelaineskitchen