Italian Stuffed Zucchini (Vegetarian)
Updated May 20, 2025, Published May 24, 2021
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These Italian stuffed zucchini are hearty, wholesome, and bursting with summery goodness. With a clever use of the entire squash and a rich, savory filling, it’s the kind of no-fuss recipe that brings comfort to any table. You will love this twice-baked zucchini recipe!
More zucchini recipes: Fried Zucchini Pasta, Zucchini Fritters Recipe, and Oven Roasted Zucchini.
Why you’ll love this family favorite!
These easy stuffed zucchini are my Nonna Laura’s beloved recipe from Sardegna—a true celebration of summer’s bounty. We call them zucchine ripene in Italian, meaning “stuffed zucchini”.
She never let a bit of zucchini go to waste, scooping out the tender insides to mix into a flavorful filling, then stuffing it right back into the zucchini shells. It’s simple, rustic cooking at its best.
This recipe shines with medium to large zucchini—more room for that savory goodness. As summer rolls on and the squash grows bigger, this dish only gets better. It’s a family favorite we’ve cherished for generations—and now it’s yours to enjoy too!
Made With AmorE,
Table of Contents
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
Substitutions and Variations
- Use yellow squash instead of zucchini.
- Add ground meat, cooked rice, or lentils for a heartier version.
- Add grated cheese like Parmigiano or pecorino to the filling for extra flavor.
- Mix in fresh herbs like parsley, basil, or mint for a bright twist.
- Add fresh garlic to taste for an earthy flavor.
How to Make Italian Stuffed Zucchini (Zucchine Ripiene)
With a little tender love and care, you will be glad you spent the extra 10 minutes of prep time to make this delicious Italian zucchini recipe. For this recipe, the zucchini is 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.
My Pro Tip
Recipe Tips
- Use medium-large zucchini for easier stuffing and more filling.
- Scoop gently—don’t pierce the skin, or they’ll fall apart while baking.
- Chop the zucchini flesh finely so it blends nicely into the filling.
- Don’t skip the olive oil drizzle before baking—it adds richness and helps with browning.
- Let them rest a few minutes after baking for the flavors to settle.
Serving Suggestions
We love to serve twice-baked zucchini with fresh bread. Try these delicious Italian bread recipes: Focaccia Bread Recipe, Crusty Bread, or Ciabatta Bread. They are also delicious when accompanied by pan-fried breaded chicken breast.
FAQ’s
Yes! Assemble the stuffed zucchini a few hours ahead and refrigerate. Bake just before serving.
They freeze well after baking. Let them cool completely, wrap tightly, and freeze for up to 2 months. Reheat in the oven
No, the skin helps the zucchini hold its shape while baking—just wash them well.
The zucchini should be tender, and the tops lightly golden. A knife should slide in easily.
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More Italian Recipes
If you like meat-stuffed vegetables, try Best Italian Style Stuffed Peppers. And for more vegetarian recipes, try this Loaded Quiche Recipe!
Looking for more delicious Italian summer recipes? Find ideas here: BEST Italian Inspired Summer Recipes.
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.
These zucchini fritters were simply amazing. My family couldn’t stop eating them. They are so easy to make too. Love them!
Made this recipe to try to impress a friend. It worked!
YAY!! ๐คฉ
Hi Elena,
I just made your stuffed zucchini for lunch and they were delicious. I like how they’re creamy, full of taste and very light tasting at the same, but has a side of lovely richness to it. Another fantastic recipe of yours…I’m hooked and having so much fun with it! :O)
Thank you so much
I made these a few weeks ago. I added a little garlic and used Parmesan. It was amazing, my family loved it. Today I am making them again. This time I will use Parmigianino, and I’m going to ad some artichoke hearts to the filling. Great recipe. Thank you
I am so happy you loved one of our treasured family recipes. I love the idea of artichoke hearts! Enjoy.
Iโm not a zucchini fan but these looked great and sounded interesting. Iโm so glad i tried them. They are awesome. Canโt wait to make and share. I added a bit of fresh garlic and lemon pepper.
Kim, I’m so happy you loved it! It’s a great recipe to share and make all season. Enjoy!
Thank you very much.
Hi Elena, Can you make this ahead of time? I am having a party for 25 people, so I was wondering if I can make this ahead of time and reheat before serving. If so, how early can I prepare it. Thanks!
Hi! Yes! You can make them up to 24 hours in advance. Option 1- make them up until the point of baking them, cover well with plastic wrap and store in the fridge and bake full amount + 5 minutes right out of the fridge. Option 2- bake them completely, let them cool, then bake them at 350 degrees F for about 10 minutes to warm until the inside is completely heated. Enjoy! Elena
Please give the nutritional content for all recipes.
This recipe sounds excellent – I canโt wait to try it. But, Iโm just a little confused – do you cut the zucchini into 2โ rounds regardless of their length, such that some will not have any โshellโ at the bottom?
Make sure that there is a little bit at the bottom of each ๐
I’m still confused — I have some giant homegrown zucchini that are 12 inches long… how can I cut them so that there is some “shell” at the bottom of every slice?
Hi Angela, you will cut the large zucchini into about 2 inch pieces. Then, one piece at a time, start scraping out the inside, but not all the way through!, the zucchini will still have a little bit left at the bottom. This will create a nice “shell” for the stuffing. I hope this helps! Enjoy.
Elena this sounds absolutely DIVINE!! I cannot wait to make this at our next dinner party. Thank you for sharing! xo Morgan (tampa, fl)
Morgan, I hope you love it! Let me know.
I’m wondering if there is a substitute I can use for Egg. I have a Egg allergy. Can you recommend a good substitute?
Hi Morgan, you can make a “flax egg” if you have ever done that with flax seed and water. I have not tested that for this recipe so I can’t guarantee the outcome! Basically, you need a binder for the filling. Hope you enjoy other recipes on CucinabyElena!
I’m vegan and Just Egg has worked well for me in these types of recipes. I can’t wait to give this one a try!
That’s great to know! Let me know how you love them!