Zucchine Ripiene
Stuffed zucchini, alla napoletana
Long green zucchini — zucchine chine, "full" ones, in the local dialect — halved, hollowed, and packed with ground meat, egg, Parmigiano, breadcrumb, and provola, then baked until the tops are golden and the filling has gone soft and molten. A summer standard with as many versions as there are family kitchens.
Zucchine ripiene belong to summer the way a soup belongs to winter — the long green zucchini that fill the markets from June on are exactly the shape this dish needs, sturdy enough to hold a filling once halved and hollowed, mild enough not to fight with whatever goes inside them. In the Neapolitan quartieri they're sometimes called zucchine chine, full zucchini, and the name is literal: the point is to pack them generously, not restrained.
The filling itself is a version of the same base used across the region's stuffed vegetables — ground meat, egg, Parmigiano, breadcrumb, parsley, and provola for pull — bound together and pressed into the hollowed halves before baking. It's a forgiving formula, which is part of why it varies so much from house to house: some families work in a little of the scooped-out zucchini flesh to stretch the filling and keep it from drying out, others add a spoonful of ricotta for softness. What stays constant is the technique — hollow, fill generously, bake until golden — more than any fixed list of quantities.
There are real regional variations worth knowing about, even if this page sticks to the baked version. Some households fry the stuffed zucchini lightly before finishing them in a fresh tomato and basil sauce on the stovetop rather than baking them dry. A richer version works in cubes of mortadella, a spoonful of besciamella, and smoked mozzarella in place of provola for a filling that leans closer to a lasagna than a vegetable side. And along the coast, a version built on the shorter, rounder zucchini uses tuna, boiled potato, Parmigiano, and breadcrumb instead of meat entirely — closer to a seafood-forward stuffed vegetable than the meat-based version most common inland.
The recipe
For four, as a light main or generous side. Choose zucchini that are straight and roughly equal in size so they cook evenly.
Related
Buon appetito.
