Vegetarian Stuffed Zucchini

Vegetarian Stuffed Zucchini is loaded with Mexican flavors with Brown Rice, Black Beans, Chiles, Cheddar, and Cotija Cheese! Just replace the rice with cooked cauliflower rice if you want a lower-carb version of this recipe.

PIN Vegetarian Stuffed Zucchini to try it later!

Recently I had some Cotija cheese left from a dish my brother Rand had made when he was visiting, so that’s what inspired me to go with a Mexican-flavored combination for this Vegetarian Stuffed Zucchini. The Cotija made a nice topping for the stuffed zucchini, but if you don’t have that you could use Parmesan, Feta, and or even a little more of the cheese blend that’s used in the stuffing.

Besides the flavorful Cotija Mexican cheese, we used brown rice, black beans, green chiles, sour cream, and Mexican cheese blend to give this stuffed zucchini plenty of flavor. But just replace the rice with cooked cauliflower rice if you want a lower-carb option.

The first time I made the recipe the cheese got too brown and the zucchini wasn’t as tender as I wanted it, so Jake and I tried cooking the stuffed zucchini covered for the first 20 minutes and then taking the foil off for another 30 minutes cooking time. That time we thought they were perfect, and this was absolutely delicious for a meatless meal that uses zucchini!

What ingredients do you need for this recipe?

(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

• 8-Ball zucchinis (or use larger long zucchini, cut in 3 inch lengths and hollowed out to make zucchini “cups”)
• Cotija cheese (or other grated cheese of your choice)
• canned black beans
• green onions
• can of diced green chiles
• cooked brown rice such as Uncle Ben’s Brown Rice (affiliate link)
• sour cream
• Mexican 4-Cheese blend
• Green Tabasco Sauce (affiliate link), optional; taste the filling and see if you’d like a little more heat

Do you need round zucchini for this meatless stuffed zucchini?

I used the adorable little round 8-Ball Zucchinis that I love so much for this recipe, but if you don’t have the round zucchini, use a larger zucchini that’s cut in chunks and then scooped out to make zucchini cups. (You can see an example of that in the recipe process photos below.)

What is Cotija Cheese?

Cotija is a firm, crumbly cows milk cheese from Mexico. Here’s more about how to use Cotija from Bon Appetit.

How to make Vegetarian Stuffed Zucchini lower in carbs:

If you want to keep the Mexican flavors but make a stuffed zucchini that’s lower in carbs, just replace the brown rice with 2 cups of slightly-cooked cauliflower rice. For best results I’d cook the cauliflower rice briefly in a very hot pan with a little oil to evaporate some of the liquid.

Want more ideas for Zucchini?

You can use Zucchini Recipes to see all the zucchini and summer squash recipes on my site. And if you have a lot of zucchini you might also like check out 50 Amazing Zucchini Recipes, The Top Ten Low-Carb Zucchini Recipes, Low-Carb and Keto Grilled Zucchini Recipes, Amazing Salads with Zucchini, and Recipes for Extra Large Zucchini. As you can tell, I’ve been a huge zucchini fan for many years!

How to make Vegetarian Stuffed Zucchini:

(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

1. Drain a can of black beans into a colander, rinse with cold water, and let them drain while you prep the zucchini.
2. I used half 8-Ball Zucchinis (on the right) and half large zucchinis cut into 3 inch pieces (on the left).
3. Use a small sharp spoon or a melon baller to scoop out the flesh of the zucchini, leaving a thin layer of zucchini flesh next to the skin. (I didn’t use the zucchini pulp that I scooped out, but you could use it to replace some of the rice.)
4. Thinly slice enough green onions to make one cup and drain a can of diced green chiles.
5. To make the filling, mix together cooked brown rice (or cauliflower rice), sour cream, sliced green onions, black beans, Mexican cheese blend, and green chiles. You can add a little Green Tabasco Sauce (affiliate link) if you want to make it a bit spicier.  (We did.)
6. Use a spoon to fill with zucchini with the stuffing mixture, pressing it down so it’s tightly filling the inside of the zucchini.
7. Cover the dish and bake the filled zucchinis for 20 minutes at 350F/180C.
8. Then remove the foil and use a spoon to press a few teaspoons of Cotija cheese (or other cheese of your choice) on to the top of the zucchini.
9. Bake about 30 minutes more, or until the filling is bubbling hot and the cheese is nicely browned.
10. Serve hot, with more Green Tabasco Sauce to add at the table if desired.

More Vegetarian Zucchini Recipes to try:

• Zucchini and Green Chile Breakfast Casserole
• Zucchini Frittata
• Zucchini Carpaccio (Raw Zucchini Salad)
• Tomato Zucchini Pie
• Zucchini Feta Bake with Thyme

Continue to Content

Print

Yield: 6 servings

Vegetarian Stuffed Zucchini

Prep Time 25 minutes

Cook Time 50 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes

This Vegetarian Stuffed Zucchini is loaded with Mexican flavors with Brown Rice, Black Beans, Chiles, Cheddar, and Cotija Cheese!

Ingredients

Ingredients

• 6 medium-sized 8-Ball zucchinis (or use larger long zucchinis, cut in 3 inch lengths and hollowed out to make zucchini "cups")
• 1/2 cup crumbled Cotija cheese (or other grated cheese of your choice)

Stuffing Ingredients

• one 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup thinly sliced green onions
• one 4 oz. can diced green chiles, drained (see notes)
• 2 cups cooked brown rice
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 cup Mexican 4-Cheese blend
• 1 T Green Tabasco Sauce (optional; taste the filling and see if you'd like a little more heat)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350F/180C.
2. Spray a baking dish with olive oil or nonstick spray. (Use a dish that holds the zucchini without letting them move around too much if you can.)
3. Drain the black beans into a colander placed in the sink and rinse with cold water until no more foam appears.
4. Let the beans drain while you prepare the zucchini.
5. If you don't have enough 8-Ball zucchini, cut a large long zucchini into 3 inch lengths.
6. Then use a melon baller or a sharp spoon to scoop out the inside of the zucchini, leaving a thin layer of flesh next to the skin.
7. Slice green onions and drain the can of diced green chiles.
8. Blot the beans dry with paper towels if they are still wet.
9. In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the black beans, sliced green onions, diced green chiles, cooked rice, sour cream, and low-fat cheese.
10. Gently mix to combine, then taste the mixture and see if you want to add the optional Green Tabasco Sauce (affiliate link). We did, but we weren't making it for kids.
11. Arrange the zucchini in the baking pan.
12. Use a spoon to fill each zucchini ball or cup with the stuffing mixture, pressing it down so the inside of the zucchini is tightly packed with stuffing.
13. Cover the dish and bake for 20 minutes.
14. After 20 minutes, take zucchini out of the oven, remove the foil, and use a spoon to carefully press about 2 tsp. crumbled Cotija cheese (or other cheese of your choice) on to the top of each zucchini.
15. Put the zucchinis back into the oven and cook about 30 minutes more, or until zucchini is tender, stuffing is bubbling hot, and the cheese on top is nicely browned.
16. Serve hot. These will keep in the refrigerator for a day or two and they can be reheated in the microwave or in a toaster oven.

Notes

Use brown rice or Uncle Ben's Converted Rice (affiliate link) for South Beach Diet. You can replace the rice with cooked cauliflower rice for a lower-carb version. I used Anaheim chiles, not Jalapenos!

Recipe created by Kalyn. 

Nutrition Information

Yield

6

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 525Total Fat 30gSaturated Fat 17gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 9.5gCholesterol 92mgSodium 744mgCarbohydrates 38gFiber 19gSugar 6.8gProtein 29g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

Did you make this recipe?

Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating (under the PRINT button in the recipe) or share a photo of your results on Instagram! THANKS!

Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Vegetarian Stuffed zucchini with rice and beans would be too high in carbs for a low-carb diet plan, but you could make a lower-carb version by replacing the brown rice with cooked cauliflower rice. As long as you use brown rice or Ben’s Original Converted Rice, light sour cream, and low-fat cheese, this Stuffed Zucchini would be approved for phase 2 or 3 of the original South Beach Diet. 

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Zucchini Recipes or Oven Dinners for more ideas for using up zucchini! Use the Diet Type Index to find more recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This recipe for a vegetarian version of stuffed zucchini was first posted in 2012 when I had the small 8-Ball Zucchini growing in my garden! It was last updated with more information in 2023.

Share This: