I think zucchini might be my favorite vegetable. My go-to side dish for any meal is plain old steamed zucchini (and usually summer squash). It's delicious, light and makes any plate beautiful and colorful - this is probably the coolest thing I've ever done with zucchini.
Chicken Enchilada Stuffed Zucchini Boats
Ingredients
For the enchilada sauce
Olive oil
3 Garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp Chipotle chile in adobo sauce
(more if you like it spicy, I just use the whole can)
1-1/2 cups Tomato sauce
1/2 tsp Chipotle chili powder
1/2 tsp Ground cumin
2/3 cup Chicken broth
Salt and pepper to taste
For the zucchini boats
4 medium Zucchini
1 tsp Olive oil
1/2 cup Green onions, chopped
4 cloves Garlic, crushed
1/2 cup diced Green bell pepper
1/4 cup chopped Cilantro
8 oz grilled & shredded Chicken breast
1 tsp Cumin
1/2 tsp dried Oregano
1/2 tsp Chipotle chili powder
3 tbsp Chicken broth
1 tbsp Tomato paste
Salt and pepper to taste
For the Topping
Cabot Seriously Sharp Cheddar, shredded
Chopped scallions and cilantro for garnish
Directions
Enchilada Sauce
In a medium saucepan, heat oil and sauté garlic. Add chipotle chiles, chili powder, cumin, chicken broth, tomato sauce, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5-10 minutes. Set aside until ready to use.
Zucchini Boats
Bring a large pot of water to boil.
Preheat oven to 400°. Cut zucchini in half lengthwise and using a small spoon or melon baller, scoop out flesh, leaving 1/4" thick. Chop the scooped out flesh of the zucchini in small pieces and set aside.
Drop the zucchini halves in boiling water and cook 1 minute; remove from water.
In a large saute pan, heat oil and add onion, garlic and bell pepper. Cook on medium-low heat for about 2-3 minutes, until onions are translucent. Add chopped zucchini and cilantro; season with salt and pepper and cook about 4 minutes. Add the cumin, oregano, chili powder, water, and tomato paste and cook a few more minutes, then add in chicken; mix and cook 3 more minutes.
Place 1/4 cup of the enchilada sauce on the bottom of a large baking dish, and place zucchini halves cut side up. Using a spoon, fill each hollowed zucchini with chicken mixture, pressing firmly.
Top each with 2 tablespoons of enchilada sauce, and shredded cheese
.
Cover with foil and bake 35 minutes until cheese is melted and zucchini is cooked through.
Top with scallions and cilantro for garnish and serve!
There's a lot of ingredients in this recipe and the prep can be time consuming. I definitely recommend this as a weekend/day-off dish or else dinner time may be a bit delayed.... BUT IT'S TOTALLY WORTH IT!! The enchilada sauce is really smoky and delicious. I've made this dish a few times and tweaked things here and there so it's definitely versatile. It would be super easy to convert this to a vegetarian dish with some extra veggies or non-meat protein. One time I was crazing carbs and converted this to a regular enchilada dish with flour tortillas and it was just as delicious (although not as healthy).
Make this dish... You won't regret -- just make sure you have someone else willing to do the dishes!