Have you ever wondered how to cook a marrow? Well this stuffed marrow recipe with Spanish rice is simple, delicious and a great way to use up any overgrown zucchinis or courgettes!
I don't think I'd ever eaten a marrow before I was at least 30. It's one of those vegetables that everyone has heard of but you just don't see for sale anywhere. Well, at least not in supermarkets these days.
I imagine it was different in the past. Marrows were probably one of those vegetables people lived off. Also, why pick them as courgettes when you could wait a couple of weeks and have 6 times the amount of food?
Nowadays flavour is everything. Maybe that's why they have somehow fallen out of favour in recent years. Marrows are not so tasty as courgettes but they are definitely bigger.
Marrow are perfect for stuffing!
So now you're wondering why I'm giving you a recipe for a bland vegetable? The brilliant thing about marrows, also known as overgrown zucchinis or courgettes, is that they take on flavours so well. The smokey Spanish flavours in the rice stuffing sink into the marrow and it becomes just as tasty as the filling.
Why buy a marrow?
The only reason I ended up with a marrow a few years ago was that I was looking for courgettes to pick at Garsons pick-your-own but everyone else had got there first. There were almost no courgettes but quite a lot of marrows.
It seems that even when you can pick them yourself they suffer in the popularity stakes. I decided I should get one to try. Even so, I have to admit to keeping it in the fridge for almost a week before I could decide what to do with it.
I was thinking of doing some kind of spicy minced beef and rice stuffing but then I forgot to buy the mince when I was shopping. So, I looked in my cupboard for inspiration and came across a couple of almost empty packets or rice. I also had a half-used ring of chorizo sausage in the fridge and that's how this turned into a more Spanish flavoured dish.
What does this Spanish rice stuffed marrow taste like?
I was expecting to like the stuffing but I wasn't sure if I'd like the marrow. I expected it to be a bit watery and bland. Well, it wasn't watery and it absorbed the flavours of the rice so it became really really tasty. I loved it. As I ate this for the first time I realised that marrow would make a perfect base for any strong flavoured stuffing.
I thought I'd be eating up the marrow for days as my husband doesn't like courgettes or squashes. Well, it might not have been his favourite dish ever but he was quite happy to eat it for two days in a row.
Since then I have most definitely become a marrow convert. I now pick marrows every year and have remade this dish a few times as well as created a few more tasty stuffed marrow recipes!
This stuffed marrow is inspired by Spanish flavours. If you also love Spanish food then do check out my Spanish saute potatoes recipe too.
Recipe
Spanish Rice Stuffed Marrow
Ingredients
- 1 large marrow
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 200 g cooking chorizo cut into chunky slices
- 1 onion
- 1 chilli pepper
- 2 green, red or yellow peppers diced
- 2 garlic cloves
- ⅓ aubergine cubed
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric or a thread of saffron
- 150 g rice
- 500 ml chicken or vegetable stock
- pinch salt
- pinch black pepper
Instructions
- Cut the marrow in half lengthways, remove the soft middle by scraping it out with a spoon and then put the marrow on a baking tray. Season it and drizzle with olive oil then place in the oven at 180C for an hour.22
- Cook the chorizo in a saucepan until it releases it's oil and begins to go a little crispy. Add the onions and chilli pepper. When the onions are soft, add the garlic. Cook for a minute and then add the rest of the vegetables, the herbs and spices, and the rice. Stir in.
- Add about ¾ of the stock. Cover and leave to simmer gently. After 15 minutes check it and stir in the rest of the stock if necessary.
- Spoon the filling into the marrow. You might not be able to fit all the stuffing in. Return the stuffed marrows to the oven and cook for another 20 minutes. The extra stuffing can be served alongside the marrows or for anyone who doesn't like marrow and just wants the stuffing.
Notes
Nutrition
More Stuffed Vegetable Recipes
Do try one of these stuffed vegetables recipes if you love this style of cooking. I realise some of these pictures need to be updated and I promise you they are more delicious than they look!
- Vegetable chilli stuffed marrow
- Kidney bean and mozzarella stuffed marrow
- Couscous stuffed aubergine with tahini sauce
- Baked marrow stuffed with leftover curry
- Keema stuffed romano peppers
Why not try my chicken and chorizo paella recipe too? Another way of preparing a stuffed marrow with Spanish flavours would be to fill it with this butter bean and chorizo stew.
Keep in touch
Do let me know if you try this stuffed marrow recipe. I love to get feedback from readers.
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Jacqui Bellefontaine | Recipes Made Easy
I love marrow but I don't often cook with it probably because I don't grow them and you never see them in the shops which is a bit of a pity. This recipe looks delicious I would certainly make it if I can find a marrow. Thank you for linking to #CookBlogShare
Corina Blum
I think that's why I hadn't had a marrow until a few years ago. Now I get them from our local pick-your-own farm but I never see many other people picking them! Such a shame as they are delicious in recipes like this.
Strength and Sunshine
Haha, this is the perfect vessel! Yum!
Corina
Thank you.
Elizabeth (@TangoRaindrop)
Sometimes it can be really hard to make a marrow dish sound tempting, but you've succeeded here! Thank you for sharing with Shop Local! 🙂
Corina
Thank you. I love marrow now and have also made a chilli stuffed one - I just haven't had time to post it yet.
Fiver Feeds
That really looks great! Now it's the perfect time to eat marrows.
Corina
It is and now that I know I like them I really need to get some more before the season ends.
Cook it fit
Done Corina. I linked it up to your blog as well 🙂
Corina
Thank you.
cheri
Love your stuffing for this, I can see why your husband would like this. This is a wonderful meal.
Corina
Thank you.
Shu Han
Love marrow! People seem to think it's boring or bland but I love how versatile it is!
Corina
I think it's got a bad reputation. I'd never had it before and I thought it would be boring but I love it now!
Dana Fashina
Oh how cool!!
I've never even heard of this vegetable before.
Looks good as hell though. What does it taste like? Is it a family of Zucchini?
Corina
It doesn't taste of much by itself but if you add a few herbs and spices it's delicious. Courgettes are the name for zucchini in the UK and a marrow is just an overgrown courgette!
Dana Fashina
ahh!
thanks for clarifying!
Simona
I had a similar experience a few years ago: I was also pleasantly surprised by the result of stuffing a marrow. You had quite a nice idea for the stuffing.
Corina
Thank you.
jacquigourlay
That looks delicious. I attempted a stuffed marrow for first time a few months ago and was surprised how good it was!
Corina
I think it's one of my favourite vegetables to stuff now!