A delicious make-ahead vegan main dish that everyone will love. Nutty and packed with flavour, these bulgur stuffed courgettes are a family favourite.
A long, long time ago, when I lived in Israel and had a vegan flatmate, I used to make variations on this stuffed courgette (zucchini) recipe quite regularly. It always went down well as part of a large-scale Shabbat meal for a crowd.
And, as these things occasionally do, this dish bubbled up from the depths of my memory recently. I decided to give it a whirl ahead of Succot, the Jewish harvest festival, when stuffed foods are traditionally eaten as a symbol of plenty.
Stuffed courgettes – prepare ahead
As it happened, my daughter Kipper and I were going out and wouldn’t be back until dinner time, so these stuffed courgettes were a great menu choice. I made them earlier in the afternoon and then left them in the oven with the timer set, so that it would come on and bake them in time for our return.
When we got home, I lifted off the foil cover and gave them five more minutes to brown slightly while we set the table. Then, we tucked in. The stuffed courgettes didn’t disappoint. They were just as I remembered, and very delicious!
Stuffed courgettes – ingredients
These delicious and beautiful stuffed courgettes come together from a few tasty and nutritious ingredients, namely:
- courgettes (zucchini) – obviously!
- bulgur wheat – sometimes also called bourghul
- leek
- red pepper (bell pepper)
- garlic
- olive oil
- vegetable stock
- freshly chopped parsley
- pine nuts
What is bulgur wheat?
Bulgur wheat, also known as bourghul, consists of cracked wheat grains that have been partially cooked. As a result the bulgur grains do not need boiling, but can simply be soaked in hot water to rehydrate.
Bulgur comes in a range of ‘grinds’ from fine to coarse. For most recipes, a ‘medium’ grind in most suitable if no particular type is specified. Here in the UK, where bulgur is not a widely used ingredient, it may be hard to find more than one type.
Bulgur wheat originates in the Middle East and is a popular ingredient in many countries across the region and into the Mediterranean area. The local cuisines of Turkey, Greece, Cyprus and Armenia, among other countries, include dishes made with bulgur.
For example, bulgur is the main ingredient in a traditional tabbouleh salad, and can also be used in soups and stuffings, or as an alternative to rice or couscous.
Easy scooping
I always find a melon baller
is the best tool for scooping out a courgette for stuffing. You can use the small scoop at the narrower ends and the larger scoop in the middle. I never make melon balls, so this kind of vegetable-hollowing is the only use my melon baller gets!
The melon baller is also good for scooping out other vegetables too, like aubergines (eggplant), pumpkin and squash, and even onions.
Deliciously vegan stuffed courgettes
DH, who I’m sure I’ve mentioned before is not usually a big fan of vegan food, ate three of these stuffed courgettes and declared them to be very good.
Kipper was less certain. Although she had eaten an ENORMOUS hunk of bread while we’d been out, so probably just had no appetite. I’ll have to make the recipe again when she’s hungrier!
No need to wait!
I definitely won’t be waiting another 10 or 15 years before I make these stuffed courgettes again. They are a brilliant make-ahead main course, and are tasty, filling and quite pretty to look at too.
I did three big courgettes, making six stuffed halves in total to serve the three of us. You can easily scale the recipe – allow one big courgette per person.
If you want deliciously easy, family-friendly recipes like this one delivered straight to your inbox, simply click here to subscribe. (Of course, I’ll never pass on your email address to anyone.)
📖 Recipe
Bulgur wheat stuffed courgettes (zucchini) with pine nuts
Ingredients
- 100 g bulgur wheat (aka bourgul)
- 3 medium-large courgettes
- 1 leek
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2-3 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 red pepper
- 250 ml vegetable stock
- 2 tablespoon chopped parsley
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 30 g pine nuts
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
- Cover the bulgar wheat with plenty of boiling water and leave to soak. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).
- Cut the courgettes in half lengthways, and scoop out the centres to form a ‘boat’. (I find the easiest way to do this is with a melon baller.) Put the hollowed out courgettes into a baking dish and set aside. Finely chop the scooped out courgette flesh.
- Trim the leek and slice finely. Peel the garlic cloves and crush them. Remove and discard the seeds from the pepper and cut the pepper flesh into small dice.
- Heat the olive oil over a low-medium heat and cook the courgette, leek, garlic and pepper for around 10 minutes, until soft.
- Meanwhile, drain the bulgar wheat and press out any excess water. Add to the vegetables with the stock, and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the chopped parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Spoon the bulgar mixture into the hollowed out courgettes – press it in well and pile it up on top. Sprinkle over the pine nuts and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
- Cover the baking dish with foil, and bake at 180°C (350°F) for 30-40 minutes. Remove the foil and continue to cook for another 5-10 minutes until the pine nuts are crisp.
- Serve!
Nutrition
More tasty recipes for stuffed foods
Other ‘stuffed’ recipes you might enjoy on Succot (or at any time) include tomato and mozzarella stuffed mushrooms, spinach and mushroom puff pastry plait, or vegetable and cheese pastry puffs.
Or check out this list of mouthwatering stuffed vegetables to celebrate the harvest season.
kneadwhine
Oh, I really want some of these right now! Pine nuts are one of the routes to my heart, definitely. I haven’t tried stuffing courgettes yet – I’ve pinned to remind me to have a try.
Helen
Never stuffed a courgette?! There was a time when I was living in Israel, and courgettes were cheap and abundant, that I made trays of stuffed ones just about every week. So easy, and so yummy.