This summer in Montreal, I asked my mom to show me how to make "kolokithàkia yemistà mé avgolémono," a summer dish I hadn't had in years. The beautiful weather matched the delicious meal.

The bright lemon and herbs, tender and sweetened zucchini shells, savory beef and rice filling, and creamy egg-lemon sauce make coring the zucchini tubes worthwhile, as that's the only time-consuming step.

This avgolemono sauce is prepared using whole eggs that are beaten together, unlike other methods that require separating the egg whites before combining with the yolks, lemon juice, and broth. The sauce is added near the end of cooking and, once thickened, serves as a gravy.

Most importantly, the dish should be gently simmered on the stovetop at a low setting (dial setting 2 out of 12) or in the oven at 125°C, both for 90 minutes to 2 hours.

It’s still a great time for zucchini, whether yellow, pale green, or dark green, so start coring and stuffing soon … :)

greek-style stuffed zucchini with egg & lemon sauce

06.09.2025

4 x 425 grams

ingredients

zucchini :

1,75 kg (8 medium) zucchini
30 ml (1 tbsp + 1 tbsp) olive oil
10 grams (2 tsp) fine sea salt

filling :

325 grams (2 ½ cups) ground beef (20% fat)
125 grams (1 cup) green onions, chopped
125 grams (1 cup) zucchini flesh, chopped
55 grams (1 whole medium) egg, beaten
15 grams (4 tbsp) flat-leaf parsley leaves
10 grams (2 tbsp) dill fronds
5 grams (1 tbsp) mint leaves
2 grams (2 whole) bay leaves
10 grams (2 tsp) salt-preserved lemon, finely chopped (or ½ tsp lemon zest)
10 grams (2 tsp) fine sea salt
1 gram (½ tsp) ground black pepper
50 grams (¼ cup) round rice, well-rinsed and strained
15 ml (1 tbsp) lemon juice
15 ml (1 tbsp) olive oil

simmering broth :

250 ml (1 cup) vegetable broth (or chicken broth or water)
125 ml (½ cup) light beer (or dry white wine)
60 ml (¼ cup) olive oil

egg-lemon sauce :

250 ml (1 cup) simmering liquid
110 grams (2 whole medium) eggs, beaten
60 ml (¼ cup) lemon juice

instructions

wash zucchinis, slice off the thinner ends that are too thin and slice each zucchini in two and use a corer to remove most of the flesh inside but leave a 1 cm thickness all around, (reserve the cores and the extra pieces of flesh and set them aside) then sprinkle the tubes with salt on the inside and on the outside and fry up all sides in a hot pan with olive oil until slightly colored on all sides and reserve
*note : 8 medium zucchinis measuring 20 cm by 5 cm will yield 16 emptied tubes weighing 1000 grams, 625 grams of flesh as cores and extra pieces and 125 grams of discarded ends, but save some of the cores to wedge inside the pan later and reserve 1 cup of the remaining flesh for the filling and use the rest of the flesh (in stored in a freezer bag) for other dishes, such as a small serving of zucchini fritters (see recipe here) …
chop the green onions and 1 cup of the zucchini flesh (not more) into small pieces and chop up the herbs with the stems and mix with the ground beef and one beaten egg and the chopped salt-preserved lemon (or lemon zest) and salt and pepper; at the end add the lemon juice and olive oil and rinsed rice and mix again (preferably knead with one hand) until well combined
fill each emptied zucchini tube with the filling until all (or almost all the filling is used up)
place the filled zucchini in a large heavy-bottomed pan (with a lid), fill up the empty spaces with a few zucchini cores (just a few) and pour in the simmering liquid mixture until at least half-way up the sides
bring the dish to a boil, on the stovetop, then immediately lower heat to a very gentle simmer, cover with a lid and from time to time, remove the froth (from the meat) that forms on top for the first 10-15 minutes of simmering and discard the froth and let simmer gently (on very low heat) for another 75-90 minutes with a lid, until tender
*note : you may also bake these in the oven, with a lid, after the initial boiling and froth skimming on the stovetop that may last 10-15 minutes, in a preheated 125°C oven for 75-90 minutes …
once tender enough, remove the zucchini cores used for wedging in between the filled zucchini tubes and taste them for tenderness and saltiness, then recuperate 1 cup of the simmering broth and set it aside, still hot
beat 2 eggs together until frothy, then add the lemon juice and beat again and slowly, while whisking vigorously, pour in the hot simmering broth, little by little until well mixed and smooth
pour the egg-lemon sauce inside the pan, shake it up a bit and simmer gently for another 15-30 minutes until thickened, without a lid this time (on the stovetop set at very low or in the 125°C oven)
serve 3-4 warm stuffed zucchini per person, with a lemon wedge and a sprinkling of dill fronds, accompanied with rustic bread.

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greek-style stuffed zucchini with egg & lemon sauce

4 x 425 grams

ingredients

instructions

greek-style stuffed zucchini with egg & lemon sauce

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