Taco zucchini boats with black beans
Tender zucchini halves stuffed with a saucy black bean and corn taco filling and baked under a blanket of melted cheese.
- 50 min total
- 20 min hands-on
- Follow-a-recipe easy
- Serves 4
- About $2.29 a serving
- 380 calories
- Good the next day
- Vegetarian
- Gluten-free
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 4 zucchini, medium
- ½ yellow onion, diced
- 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
- ¾ cup frozen corn
- ¾ cup salsa
- 1½ cups Mexican blend cheese, divided
- ¼ cup sour cream (optional)
- 2 tbsp cilantro, chopped (optional)
From your pantry
- 1 tbsp olive oil, divided
- ¾ tsp salt, divided
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp garlic powder
Each serving has about 380 calories, 21 g protein, 36 g carbs and 18 g fat, and costs about $2.29 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No zucchini? Yellow squash works.
- No yellow onions? White onions or red onions work.
- No black beans? Pinto beans or kidney beans work.
- No frozen corn? Canned corn works.
- No salsa? Pico de gallo works.
- No Mexican blend cheese? Shredded cheddar or cheddar cheese or Monterey Jack cheese works.
- No sour cream? Plain Greek yogurt works.
- No cilantro? Fresh parsley works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the oven to 400°F.
Preheat. Preheating means turning the oven on before you start, so it’s fully hot when the food goes in. Food that starts in a cold oven cooks unevenly and doesn’t brown the same.
How you’ll know: The oven beeps or its light clicks off, usually 10 to 15 minutes after you turn it on.
the zucchini and scoop out the seedy middles with a spoon, leaving a shell about ¼ inch thick.
Halve. Halving means cutting something into two equal pieces. Even halves cook at the same speed, so one doesn’t dry out while the other finishes.
How you’ll know: The two pieces look like mirror images of each other.
Lengthwise. Lengthwise means cutting along the long side, from stem to tip, which gives long pieces. Crosswise is the other way, straight across the middle, which gives short, round ones.
How you’ll know: Lengthwise halves of a zucchini look like two little canoes; crosswise pieces look like coins.
the scooped-out flesh.
Chop. Chopping means cutting food into bite-size pieces that don’t need to be neat. Keep them roughly the same size so everything cooks evenly.
How you’ll know: Your pieces are about half an inch and roughly alike, even if none of them are pretty.
Set the boats cut side up in a baking dish, brush with half the oil, sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon salt and for 10 minutes.
Bake. Baking means cooking in the oven with dry heat all around the food. It cooks evenly from every side, so you can mostly leave it alone.
How you’ll know: It’s golden on top and passes the recipe’s check, like a clean toothpick or the right temperature.
Timer: 10 min
Dolly’s tip: The head start keeps the boats from staying crunchy under the filling.Meanwhile, heat the rest of the oil in a over medium heat. Cook the onion and zucchini until soft, about 5 minutes.
Skillet. A skillet is a frying pan: wide and flat with low, sloped sides. The shape lets steam escape, so food browns instead of stewing.
How you’ll know: It’s the pan you’d fry an egg in, and a 10 or 12 inch one handles most recipes.
Chop. Chopping means cutting food into bite-size pieces that don’t need to be neat. Keep them roughly the same size so everything cooks evenly.
How you’ll know: Your pieces are about half an inch and roughly alike, even if none of them are pretty.
Medium heatTimer: 5 min
Add the beans, corn, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, salsa and ½ teaspoon salt.
Medium heat
until thick and not watery, 3 to 4 minutes.
Simmer. Simmering means keeping a liquid just below a boil, with small bubbles rising gently. It cooks food evenly and lets a sauce thicken without scorching on the bottom.
How you’ll know: Small, lazy bubbles break the surface every second or so, and nothing is churning.
Medium heatTimer: 4 min
Off the heat, stir in half the cheese.
Spoon the filling into the boats, packing it in, and top with the rest of the cheese.
until the cheese is bubbling and a fork slides easily into the zucchini, 15 to 18 minutes.
Bake. Baking means cooking in the oven with dry heat all around the food. It cooks evenly from every side, so you can mostly leave it alone.
How you’ll know: It’s golden on top and passes the recipe’s check, like a clean toothpick or the right temperature.
Timer: 16 min
Top with sour cream and cilantro and serve two halves each.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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