Italian Stuffed Zucchini (vegetarian)
May 24, 2021, Updated Feb 18, 2025
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Italian stuffed zucchini (zucchine ripiene) are one of the most classic Italian ways to eat zucchini. These little bites are mild, tender, flavorful, and packed with delicious zucchini, onion, and olive oil flavor. You will love this twice-baked zucchini recipe!
More zucchini recipes: Fried Zucchini Pasta and Oven Roasted Zucchini.
I usually gobble up one or two right out of the oven. They pop in your mouth and are highly addictive!
Table of Contents
Why you’ll love this recipe
These vegetarian stuffed zucchini highlight the flavor of the zucchini from the inside out!
They are topped with plenty of cheese and baked to perfection. An easy and healthy recipe the whole family will enjoy!
If you like meat-stuffed vegetables, try Best Italian Style Stuffed Peppers. And for more vegetarian recipes, try this Loaded Quiche Recipe!
Recipe Ingredients
- Zucchini (it helps if they are thick in diameter)
- Onion
- Egg
- Olive oil, more for topping
- Bread crumbs (unflavored), more for topping
- Parmigiano, finely grated, more for topping
- Salt and Pepper to taste
How to Make Italian Stuffed Zucchini
With a little tender love and care you will be glad you spent the extra 10 minutes prep time to make this delicious Italian zucchini recipe.
Instructions
We call them zucchine ripene in Italian meaning “stuffed zucchini”. For this recipe, the zucchini are cooked two ways.
First, the interior is removed and sautéed with onions until perfectly tender. Then, the cooked zucchini mixture is combined with an egg, bread crumbs, and freshly grated parmigiano.
The shells of the zucchini are fried and then stuffed with the zucchini mixture and baked.
They are topped with parmigiano and bread crumbs to create the most delicious golden brown topping.
Serving Suggestions
We love to serve twice-baked zucchini with fresh bread. Try these delicious Italian bread recipes: Easy No-Knead Focaccia Bread Recipe (Italian), Softest No Knead Bread, or Fast Italian No Knead Ciabatta Bread
They are also delicious when accompanied by baked chicken breast.
These easy stuffed zucchini are a simple, fresh, and delicious showcase for peak-season summer squash.
I don’t let any of the zucchini go to waste here, as I stuff the zucchini shells with a savory filling that includes the scooped zucchini flesh.
This recipe works best with medium-large zucchini (larger squash = more space for filling).
It’s a great one that you can make as the summer season progresses and the squash gets bigger. You will love this simple Italian recipe as much as we do!
Can You Freeze Stuffed Zucchini?
I don’t recommend freezing stuffed simply because the zucchini will be quite mushy upon thawing.
More Italian Recipes
Polpette Con Sugo (Italian meatballs in tomato sauce)
Chicken Skillet Creamy Chive Mascarpone Sauce
Easy Roasted Zucchini and Yellow Squash Recipe
Looking for more delicious Italian summer recipes? Find ideas here: 29 BEST Italian Inspired Summer Recipes
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Italian Stuffed Zucchini Recipe (zucchine ripiene)
Ingredients
- 4 large zucchini, it helps if they are thick in diameter
- 1 large white onion, diced
- 1 large egg
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, more for topping
- 2 tablespoons bread crumbs, unflavored, more for topping
- 3 tablespoons parmigiano, finely grated, more for topping
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
- Wash zucchini. Cut ends and discard. Cut zucchini into 2 inch (5 cm) pieces. With a melon cuter or knife carve out the white flesh of the zucchini. Creating a hole still leaving enough at the bottom to hold the filling.
- Save the zucchini shells for later. In a large skillet pan heat 1 tbs olive oil on medium heat. Add onion and interior flesh of the zucchini. Cook 8 minutes until soft and golden brown. Set aside and let cool in pan.
- Meanwhile, in a small pot, add reaming olive oil and heat on high. Fry the zucchini on all sides about 6-8 minutes total. Remove from oil onto a plate lined with a paper towel.
- Once the zucchini mixture in pan is cooled; add- egg, parmigiano, breadcrumbs, and season with salt and pepper. Mix well with a fork until well combined. Drizzle an oven safe baking dish with olive oil. Place the fried zucchini shells in the dish. Spoon the mixture into the zucchini shells until the tops are filled.
- Sprinkle the tops generously with parmigiano and bread crumbs. drizzle with olive oil and bake at 350 degrees F for 35-40 minutes until tops are golden brown.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate. This nutritional information is a result of online calculators. While cucinabyelena.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are estimates. Various factors, including, but not limited to, the actual brands used, change the nutritional information in any given recipe.
I have a question regarding frying the shells. It had 2 remaining tbs of oil. It says fry in a pot, does this mean deep fried so the inside of the shells gets cooked, or just the outsides using the 2 tbs of oil?
Hi! Yes, just fry all the sides. Enjoy!