Courgettes stuffed with ricotta, mint and lemon
Baked courgette boats filled with ricotta worked with parmesan, fresh mint and lemon zest, under a breadcrumb topping that turns crisp in the oven.
Are you looking for a light vegetarian main that can be made ahead and does not weigh down dinner?
Then these ricotta-stuffed courgettes are what you need. I will walk you through hollowing out the courgettes, keeping the filling creamy without letting it turn watery, and building a crunchy breadcrumb topping.
The filling is the part that deserves attention. Ricotta on its own tends to taste flat, so mint and lemon zest come in as a pair: two ingredients that add no fat but completely change the profile of the dish, making it fresh rather than heavy.
There are at least three good reasons to make them: they cost very little, they take fifty minutes in total, and they are just as good cold, which makes them ideal for a lunchbox.
The technical detail is the same one that applies to any stuffed vegetable: the empty boats need ten minutes in the oven first. Courgettes take longer than the filling, and without that step you risk serving a still-crunchy vegetable under an already golden surface.
Serve them warm, once the filling has set, with a drizzle of raw olive oil and a few fresh mint leaves. They keep for two days in the fridge.
Ready? Let’s get started with ricotta-stuffed courgettes.
Steps
- Halve the courgettes lengthways and scoop out the flesh with a teaspoon, leaving a half-centimetre border. Keep the flesh.
- Brush the boats with a tablespoon of oil, salt them lightly and bake at 200°C (400°F) for 10 minutes: courgettes need longer than the filling, so they get a head start.
- Chop the flesh and fry it in a pan with a tablespoon of oil for 5 minutes, until dry. Let it cool before adding it to the ricotta, or the heat will loosen the mixture.
- In a bowl, work the ricotta with a fork until creamy, then stir in the parmesan, the egg, the knife-chopped mint, the grated lemon zest, salt and pepper.
- Fold in the cooked flesh: the mixture should be thick enough to sit on a spoon without running.
- Fill the boats with the mixture, level it and scatter over the breadcrumbs mixed with the remaining oil.
- Bake at 190°C (375°F) for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden on top and the courgette gives no resistance to a skewer. Rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Helpful tips
Mint and lemon are the pair that lifts the ricotta: without them the filling tastes flat and a little heavy.
If the ricotta is very wet, leave it in a sieve for half an hour before working it.
Pre-baking the empty boats stops you serving raw courgette under an already browned top.
They are excellent warm or cold, which makes them ideal for a packed lunch.
Average nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 260 kcal
- Carbohydrates
- 14.0 g
- Sugars
- 6.0 g
- Protein
- 14.0 g
- Fat
- 17.0 g
- Saturated fat
- 8.0 g
- Fiber
- 3.0 g
- Sodium
- 450 mg
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