Char Siu Zucchini Boats

It’s that time of year…time to figure out what to do with all of this zucchini and summer squash! If you’re like me, zucchini can be boring, and therefore it leads to repetitive recipes. This is not that. It’s an easy and healthy weeknight meal that uses my SIMPLE take on a Cantonese char siu pork mixture and combines it with a soft, roasted edible bowl to eat out of. If you’ve had stuffed peppers before and were like, “uh, cool concept but the pepper isn’t even good. It’s crunchy and flavorless", this is not that. What this recipe IS is super flavorful (you’ll want to lick the skillet but it will be too hot), fun (eating your bowl? yes please) and a perfect light summer meal OR side. This can also easily be vegetarian: just use tofu, tempeh, or your favorite crumbly meat alternative. Enjoy!

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Level: Easy

Ingredients: 2-3 as meal, 4-6 as side

  • 3 large zucchini or summer squash

  • 1 lb. ground pork (or vegetarian alternative)

  • 1/2 onion, finely diced

  • 4 cloves of garlic, minced

  • 3 green onions, cut into rounds, greens and whites separate

  • 2 tbsp. olive oil

  • 3 tbsp. hoisin sauce

  • 3 tbsp. soy sauce

  • 1/4 tsp. Chinese five spice

  • `/4 tsp. white pepper

  • 1/4 tsp. salt

  • Salt & pepper to taste on zucchini

 

  1. Pre-heat your oven to 400. Cut all of the zucchini and half lengthwise, and using a sturdy spoon, apply pressure to the soft, seedy inside and carve it out, pumpkin-style. Make sure you have a nice cavity where you’ll stuff each one!

  2. Drizzle with 1 tbsp. of the olive oil, rub to evenly coat the inside and outside of the zucchini halves, and season the inside with salt and pepper to taste. Roast in the oven for 25 minutes.

  3. Make the sauce: whisk together the hoisin sauce, the soy sauce, the Chinese five spice, the salt, and the white pepper. Set aside.

  4. To make the filling, first make sure the onion, garlic, and green onion are prepped. Then, heat up a medium sized skillet over medium heat. Add the remaining 1 tbsp. of olive oil. Let that heat up for about a minute, and add the onion, garlic, and green onion WHITES (save greens aside) and sauté for about 3-5 minutes until softened.

  5. Add the ground pork to the skillet and break apart. Turn the heat up to medium high to get it all browned.

  6. After about 8 minutes, most of the pork will be cooked and browned. Add the sauce, turn to medium low, and stir to combine. Keep cooking for about 3-4 minutes until the sauce all adheres to the pork and it’s almost caramelized a bit. Turn off heat and stir in half of the green onion GREENS.

  7. Once the zucchini is done roasting, remove and let cool for about 3 minutes. Transfer the zucchini carefully to serving platter or plates, and stuff each one as full as you can fit with the pork filling. Top with the remaining fresh green onions for fresh garnish and serve while warm!