Just about everyone’s favorite breakfast, reinvented in a healthier, zestier form, these cheesy bacon & egg zucchini boats are stuffed with flavor! First the zucchini is hollowed out, with bacon sizzling, then sauteed with sweet onions and a bit of jalapeno to make it dance. A little tomato and chopped basil leaves, and then the cheese joins the dance. Stuff this delightful filling back into the zucchini, top with yes, more cheese, and bake until the zucchini is perfectly crisp tender and the cheese is delightfully melty.
I couldn’t WAIT to wake up to these lovely stuffed zucchini boats this morning. My brain woke up with a specific craving today. I was thinking back to a recipe I made long ago where I stuffed chorizo and scrambled eggs along with peppers and lots of good melty cheese into a great big zucchini that I’d hollowed out … at the time I thought it was beautiful, but looking back now I think it looks more like a log or a canoe than what you normally think of as a zucchini boat! I’m kind of giggling at my old photos, but also patting myself for dreaming up this beautiful idea of breakfast in a zucchini shell.
And that is how this bit of delicious breakfast heaven came to be. I grabbed some fresh basil from the basil tree in my garden (just kidding, basil does NOT grow on trees, but my basil plant IS quite big and healthy so it almost looks like a tree) because why not add fresh basil when you have it? Fresh basil = YUM.
Zucchini Love/Hate Relationships
I think most gardeners have a love/hate relationship with zucchini. We love zucchini because it’s reliable, abundant, relatively easy to grow and such an easy addition to so many dishes. And then zucchini delivers on its promises and produces LOTS and LOTS of zucchini and I think most gardeners find themselves overwhelmed and just … can’t … do … zucchini … any … more. They begin to hate the very sight of zucchini. Variety is the spice of life and all that, right? Yes, yes, I get you. We DO need more than one vegetable to sustain us.
Also, zucchini also soaks up water … so every little summer squash packs in the WATER. Which again, we both love and hate. We rejoice because we can use zucchini to add precious liquid to breads and such, yet we squeeze all that water out of it even on occasions when we are using it to ADD moisture. Especially this year, when the whole country is overheating and we have so much drought and wild fires everywhere, I have to question our wisdom. Tell me: why are we throwing away the precious water (along with the nutrients that could sustain us)? Another question roaming in my mind: how the heck does the zucchini plant gather up SO much water in the midst of a drought? It must be wicking away every drop it gets into the zucchini “fruit”.
As much as I struggle with using up all the zucchini, I just can’t bring myself to waste this beautiful summer veggie.
This dish is delightful because there’s no squeezing involved. A bit of scooping and sauteeing, but we can handle that, right? Especially when there’s a delicious breakfast waiting at the end … 🙂
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Bacon & Egg Stuffed Zucchini
Description
The classic breakfast made healthy by stuffing your bacon and eggs along with sauteed onions, tomatoes, a bit of hot pepper and cheese, into a zucchini shell. Have yourself a bacon & egg zucchini boat or two for breakfast (or any time of day)!
Ingredients
- 2 – 3 eggs, scrambled
- 1 – 2 strips bacon
- 2 small/medium zucchini, sliced lengthwise
- 1/2 of a sweet onion, peeled & chopped
- 1/2 – 1 jalapeno pepper, chopped fine
- 1 small tomato, chopped (or about 7– 10 fresh sweet cherry or grape tomatoes)
- 2 small basil leaves, chopped
- 3/4 – 1 cup shredded cheese (Pepper jack or Mexican blend)
Instructions
- Scramble up the eggs, cooking them until just done and still slightly wet. Put the eggs in a small bowl and set aside. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Spray a small baking sheet with cooking spray.
- Use a grapefruit spoon or melon baller to remove most of the flesh of the zucchini, leaving 1/4 inch shell. Set the hollow zucchini aside. Chop the removed zucchini flesh into little bits.
- In a small frying or saute pan over medium heat, cook the bacon strip(s) until done, then remove them to a clean towel (or paper towel). (Make a note to chop the bacon into bits when you get a chance while things are cooking.) Now, add the zucchini and onion to the pan. Sprinkle with salt free seasoning such as Trader Joe’s 21-Seasoning Salute and Red Robin Seasoning. Saute until the onion is soft and translucent.
- Add in the jalapeno and basil and cook for a few minutes longer, then stir in the scrambled eggs and tomato along with about half the shredded cheese and bits of bacon. Cook, stirring frequently, until the liquid is reduced to almost nothing.
- Set the hollowed zucchini shells close together on the prepared pan, then divide the cheesy egg mixture amongst the zucchini shells. Top with the remaining shredded cheese.
- Bake at 350 F. for 20 – 25 minutes or until the zucchini is crisp tender and the cheese is good and melty. Enjoy!
Notes
© Copyright 2021, Sumptuous Spoonfuls. All images & content are copyright protected. I love it when you share, but please do not use my images on your own site/page without prior permission. If you want to publish any of my images, please ask first. Sharing, pinning, and tweeting is always appreciated as long as the shares and pins link back to here for the recipe. If you want to republish this recipe as your own, please re-write the recipe in your own words or link back to this post for the recipe.
How to use fresh zucchini?
Oh how well I know how the zucchini can come rolling in like a tidal wave. If you keep sticking to the same old tricks all the time, you tire of it all VERY quickly. Over the years, I’ve collected a treasure trove of zucchini inspiration to remind me that there is ALWAYS something new you can do with zucchini. Here are some of my favorites. I hope you find something here to inspire a little fun with your zucchini this year!
Scroll down for links to the recipes.
- Chocolate Cherry Zucchini Bread
- Zucchini Chickpea Salad
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Swirl Zucchini Cake
- Easy Curly Zucchini Fries
- Baked Eggs in Bacon Zucchini Nests
- Lavender Lemon Zucchini Loaf
- Grilled Zucchini Corn Salsa
- Avocado Jalapeno Zummus
- Zucchini Ravioli
- Aztec Chocolate Zucchini Cake with Raspberry Sauce
- Easy Zucchini Pepperoni Pizza Bites
- Pistachio Zucchini Lime Cake
Also, yes, you CAN preserve zucchini. Shred it and stuff it into bags … or pickle it! Zucchini soaks up all the flavors of whatever you add, so zucchini pickles really are a thing … and they taste really almost like cucumber pickles.
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