Tandoori Gobi (Cauliflower) Zucchini Boats
I’ve made zucchini boats a few times so far. Each time has been to use up leftovers from our Skinny Skillet Enchilada the previous night. They turn out really good and Sanaya loves them but it’s the same flavor profile so as much as I love it, I still crave something a little different.
I knew I wanted to create a different filling and haven’t done much with Indian food lately so I played around with my options. I kept circling back to this one idea of Tandoori Gobi as the stuffing. I’m not sure where I thought of it but it wouldn’t go away so I decided, ok, let’s give it a try.
I have a great Tandoori marinade recipe that I have been using with chicken so I decided, to use the same for the cauliflower. I treated the cauliflower as the chicken substitute and marinated it overnight also.
The cooking part was a little tricky as I didn’t want a soggy Zucchini Boat and the marinade definitely looked like it would promise a lot of liquid. Simple trick, I baked them separately, then stuffed the zucchini with the cauliflower and broiled it on high for 5 minutes to get a good char. Can I just say, Oh so delicious!
Also, please don’t throw out the flesh of the zucchini when you scoop it out to create the cavity for the cauliflower. Let’s be sustainable here and make some Zucchini Bread out of it!
One more thing I love about this recipe is that it is totally a weeknight meal. So the time on the recipe card may be a little daunting, but it’s the ease of it. And most of the time you spend is waiting for the flavors to marinate. It really takes maybe 15 minutes to put the marinade together, then the next day, 5 minutes to shell out the Zucchini and the rest of the time, you are waiting for it to finish baking. Honestly, it can’t get any easier for a weeknight meal.
Serve this delicious boat with a cooling Mint-y Pomegranate Raita to finish it off.
From my kitchen to yours, we hope these Tandoori Gobi Zucchini Boats rock your world!
Tandoori Gobi (Cauliflower) Zucchini Boats
Ingredients
- 1/2 cauliflower, chopped into florets
- 2 zucchinis
- 1/4 c yogurt
- 1 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1" ginger, peeled and grated
- 2 cloves garlic, minced or grated
- 1 1/2 tsp Kashmiri Deggi Mirch or cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tsp garam masala
- 1/2 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1/4 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp chaat masala
- 2 tsp salt, divided
- 1 tsp black pepper, divided
- 1 Tbsp Avocado or Olive Oil
- Red Food Coloring (optional)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whip yogurt to a creamy texture.
- Add in the lemon juice, ginger, garlic, cayenne pepper, garam masala, cumin powder, coriander powder, turmeric, 1 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp black pepper.
- Mix well to combine all of the spices.
- Toss in the cauliflower florets and stir to make sure each floret is coated completely.
- Cover and refrigerate at least 8 hours and preferably, overnight.
- When you are ready to bake, preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Trim ends of zucchini and slice in half. Scoop out flesh and save to make Zucchini Bread.
- Rub oil over all 4 Zucchini boats, then season with the remaining 1 tsp salt and 3/4 tsp black pepper.
- Bake separately but at the same time, the cauliflower and zucchini boats for 30 minutes.
- Remove from oven and stuff the Zucchini Boats with the Tandoori Gobi.
- Broil on high for 5 minutes or until you get a slight char on the cauliflower.
- Remove from oven and sprinkle chaat masala over the the boats.
- Serve hot with your favorite raita!
Notes
**Bake the cauliflower and zucchini boats in separate baking sheets if possible. When you stuff the boats and return the baking sheet to the oven to broil, the remnants of the tandoori paste will burn on the pan if you are using the same pan.
