Tender stuffed round zucchini filled with a savory mixture of sausage, tomatoes, rice, garlic and herbs, then baked until perfectly soft and delicious. These little French stuffed zucchini are as pretty on the table as they are satisfying to eat - tiny green dinner packages, hats included.
If there is one vegetable that screams summer to me, it has to be zucchini. Well, zucchini and tomatoes. Those two spend so much time together in French summer cooking that they are basically in a committed relationship.
And summer is exactly when zucchini seem to be everywhere.
I learned this particularly well years ago, when we lived on a ranch in Utah with horses, chickens, acres of land and an enormous vegetable garden. It was beautiful. Idyllic, even.
Until the zucchini came.
So. Many. Zucchini.
You pick five. Twelve more appear. You give bags of them to your friends. The next morning, apparently, they have reproduced again. At some point you start wondering whether casually leaving zucchini on your neighbors' porches in the middle of the night would technically be considered a crime.
If you have ever planted zucchini without fully understanding just how enthusiastic a vegetable can be, you know exactly what I mean.
Which brings me to stuffed zucchini - one of my favorite ways to turn summer's generosity into an actual dinner.
Jump to:
Meet the Fancy Cousin of the Zucchini Boat
If you are lucky enough to spot round zucchini at your grocery store or farmers' market this summer, please bring a few of these little beauties home.
Regular long zucchini are wonderful, of course. Slice them lengthwise, scoop them out, fill them up and you have classic zucchini boats.
But round zucchini?
Round zucchini clearly made an effort.
They arrive wearing their beautiful green coats, perfectly plump and elegant, with a little matching hat sitting on top. We remove said hat, fill them with something delicious, politely put the hat back on, bake the whole thing and serve them dressed exactly as they came.
Très chic.
Their shape also makes them absolutely perfect for stuffing. Once hollowed out, each zucchini becomes its own little edible bowl, ready to hold a generous filling of sausage, tomato, rice, garlic, parsley and oregano.
In France, stuffed vegetables are very much part of summer cooking, particularly in the South, where you will find petits farcis made with vegetables such as zucchini, tomatoes, eggplant, onions and peppers. My version focuses entirely on these adorable round zucchini and turns them into a complete, comforting summer meal.
How to Make Stuffed Round Zucchini
There is one little trick I use when making stuffed round zucchini that makes a big difference: I partially cook the zucchini before hollowing them out.
Instead of cutting them immediately, place the whole zucchini - still intact, hats and all - into boiling water for about 8 minutes.
This gives them a head start on cooking, helps ensure beautifully tender zucchini later and makes scooping out the centers much easier.
1. Precook the zucchini
Bring large pots of water to a boil and carefully add the whole round zucchini. Let them cook for about 8 minutes.
You don't want to completely cook them at this point. We are simply giving them a little French spa treatment before the real work begins.
Drain them and let them cool just enough that you can comfortably handle them.
2. Remove the hats and hollow them out
Slice off the tops of the zucchini - and whatever you do, don't throw them away. Their little hats will go right back on before baking.
Using a spoon, carefully scoop out the flesh from the center, leaving enough around the sides so the zucchini keep their shape.
You can save the zucchini flesh and add it directly to the stuffing. Rien ne se perd - nothing goes to waste.
Lightly salt the inside of each hollowed zucchini, then turn them upside down onto a clean kitchen towel or paper towels while you prepare the filling. This helps some of their excess moisture drain away rather than ending up in the bottom of your stuffed zucchini later.
3. Make the sausage and tomato filling
While the zucchini are draining, cook the rice separately and set it aside.
Then sauté finely chopped onion in a little olive oil until softened. Add the garlic and let it cook for another minute, just until fragrant.
Add the sausage meat along with parsley, oregano and a pinch of cayenne pepper if you like a little heat. Season with salt and pepper and cook over medium-high heat, breaking up the sausage as it cooks, until it begins to brown.
Next come the tomatoes, along with their juices and the reserved zucchini flesh if you are using it.
Let everything simmer together for another 5 to 10 minutes so the flavors have a chance to get properly acquainted.
Finally, stir in the cooked rice.
And please taste your filling before stuffing the zucchini. This is your moment to adjust the salt, pepper or herbs. Once everything is wearing a zucchini coat and sitting in the oven, negotiations are over.
4. Fill, hat and bake
Spoon the filling generously into each zucchini and arrange them in a large baking dish.
Now for the important part: put their hats back on.
A little dignity, please.
Bake your stuffed round zucchini at 350°F (180°C) for about 25 to 30 minutes, keeping an eye on them toward the end of the cooking time.
The zucchini should be beautifully tender while still holding their shape, and the filling should be hot and full of flavor.
Serve them warm with a simple green salad and you have an easy summer dinner that somehow manages to look much fancier than the amount of effort involved.
A Few Tips for Perfect Stuffed Round Zucchini
Choose zucchini that are roughly the same size
Your baked stuffed round zucchini will cook more evenly if they are similar in size. Look for zucchini that feel firm and heavy for their size, with smooth skin and no soft spots.
Don't skip the precooking step
Can you find stuffed zucchini recipes that put the vegetables straight into the oven? Absolutely. But with round zucchini in particular, I much prefer giving them those 8 minutes in boiling water first.
It makes them easier to hollow out and gives you a reliably tender result without needing a very long baking time.
Don't scoop too enthusiastically
You want plenty of room for stuffing - obviously, because the stuffing is delicious - but don't get carried away.
Leave a good layer of zucchini around the sides and bottom so your beautiful little vegetable bowl does not suffer a structural crisis halfway through dinner.
Let them drain
Zucchini naturally contain a lot of water. Salting the hollowed zucchini and letting them sit upside down while you prepare the filling is a simple step that helps keep the finished dish from becoming watery.
Save the zucchini flesh
I like adding the scooped-out flesh back into the filling. It gives you even more zucchini flavor and means nothing goes to waste.
And if you currently have 47 zucchini growing in your backyard, wasting zucchini is probably the least of your concerns - but still.
What to Serve With Stuffed Zucchini
Because the filling already contains sausage, vegetables and rice, these stuffed round zucchini really are a complete meal all by themselves.
In the summer, I love serving them with a simple green salad tossed in a sharp vinaigrette. The freshness and acidity are perfect alongside the rich sausage and tomato filling.
And don't feel like you need to add anything complicated. The zucchini have hats. They have already brought enough drama to the table.
For another cozy French family dinner, try my Lentils and Sausage next. And if you want to finish your summer meal on a very French note, my Caramelized Apple Cake would be rather lovely here too! It's always a huge hit!
These stuffed round zucchini - or courgettes farcies, as I would call them in France - are exactly the kind of recipe I love: simple ingredients, plenty of flavor and just enough elegance to make an ordinary family dinner feel a little special.
Besides, how often does your dinner arrive wearing its own hat?
You'll find the full recipe below. Please leave a star rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and a comment after trying it. It truly means the world to me and helps other readers discover the recipe too.
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Stuffed Round Zucchini (French Courgettes Farcies)
Ingredients
- 8 round zucchini
- 2 small yellow onions, finely chopped
- 5 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
- ⅓ bunch fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper, optional
- 500 g (about 1.1 lb) bulk sausage meat, plain or seasoned
- 1 14.5 oz can whole peeled tomatoes, with their juices
- 150 g (about ¾ cup) uncooked rice
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- olive oil
Instructions
- Bring water to a boil in two large pots. Add the whole round zucchini, without cutting or hollowing them out, and cook for about 8 minutes. Meanwhile, begin preparing the filling.
- Cook the rice according to package directions, drain if necessary, and set aside.
- Drain the zucchini and allow them to cool just enough to handle. Slice off the tops and set them aside - these will be the little "hats." Carefully scoop out the centers of the zucchini. Reserve the zucchini flesh if you would like to add it to the filling. Lightly salt the inside of the zucchini, then place them upside down on a large cutting board or plate lined with a clean kitchen towel or paper towels.
- Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped onions and cook for a few minutes, until softened. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
- Add the sausage meat, parsley, cayenne pepper, if using, and oregano. Season with salt and pepper. Cook over medium-high heat, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until the sausage is cooked through and beginning to brown.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Chop the peeled tomatoes and add them to the skillet along with their juices. Add the reserved zucchini flesh, if using. Stir and cook over low heat for 5 to 10 minutes. Add the cooked rice and mix well. Remove from the heat, taste, and adjust the seasoning with additional salt and pepper if needed.
- Generously fill each zucchini with the sausage and rice mixture. Arrange them in a large baking dish and place their reserved tops back on. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes at 350°F (180°C), keeping an eye on them during the last 5 minutes. Serve warm with a simple green salad.
