Italian Chickpea Zucchini Boats – A Delicious Vegan-Adaptable Meal

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Rinse the canned chickpeas. Dry with a paper towel, gently rubbing allowing the loose skins to detach, dispose of any loose skins. Spray a baking sheet with olive oil. Rub the dried chickpeas generously with olive oil, reserving the rest. Salt and pepper to taste. Roast on the top shelf of the oven. Cook for 12-15 minutes, flipping once, until crunchy.

Begin preparing the zucchini while the oven is preheating. Wash and dry the zucchinis. Slice lengthwise in half. Cut the middle out of the zucchini. Leaving 1/2 inch around the sides, I use a pairing knife to score the area I want to remove using a sharp spoon to remove the flesh. Reserve the flesh if desired (see note below). Cover lightly with olive oil, reserving the rest for the sauce. Salt lightly to draw out the moisture. Place upside down on a lightly oiled baking sheet. While the chickpeas are roasting, place the zucchini in the oven, on a lower shelf. Soften for 7-8 minutes.

Prepare the sauce, while the zucchini and chickpeas are roasting. Add the remaining olive oil to a medium hot skillet. Add the tomatoes (already sliced in half), add the salt. Allow the tomatoes to cook down. Once softened, use a hand-held masher (see link below) and crush the tomatoes into a chunky pulp.

While the cherry tomatoes are cooking down, blend the Roma tomatoes in a blender under frothy. Set aside.

The zucchinis should still be somewhat firm and warm when removed from the oven. Once cool enough to handle, wipe the excess liquid from the zucchinis and place on a dry, lightly sprayed baking sheet. Set aside. The chickpeas should be crunchy and golden brown. Set aside to cool. Turn the oven down to 375 degrees.

While the chickpeas and zucchini are cooling, wipe the skillet used to cook the tomatoes. Add the remaining olive oil, and over medium heat, add the diced onions. Lightly salt. Sauté the onions until sweet and soft.

Add all of the chickpeas, onions, and breadcrumbs to the food processor. Pulse until the chickpeas are well blended with the onions and breadcrumbs. About 10-12 pulses. Add half of the tomato sauce and a teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil. Pulse again. If the mixture appears dry, continue to add sauce by the 1 or 2 tablespoons at a time until it reaches the desired consistency. The filling should be moist, but not runny. Save any remaining tomato sauce for another use.

Place the zucchinis boat side up and spoon the filling into the opening. The filling can be packed into the zucchini and overflow the top. If using pecorino, top it with pecorino. Place it in the oven for 15 minutes, or until the filling is hot and darker in color.

Top with parsley and additional red pepper flakes if desired. Eat immediately!

Add the blended Roma tomatoes, red pepper flakes, Italian seasoning, and tomato paste to the skillet with the cherry tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat to medium low and allow to thicken, stirring occasionally for approximately 8 minutes. Place in a covered dish.