This vegetarian stuffed marrow with veggie chilli makes a great family meal. It's easy to make and the leftovers can easily be reheated too. It's simple to adapt to make it vegan too!
Marrows marrows marrows. Marrows have been my discovery of the season this year. I've gone from imagining they were boring and bland to absolutely loving stuffing them to make healthy and delicious meals. If only I'd discovered them a few years ago I could have been a marrow recipe expert by now!
What's that? You don't share my love of marrows? You might be scared of coming to my house in case I serve you up three courses of marrow? Hmmm, I think that might be a good idea.
Maybe I could serve a marrow ratatouille on crispy bread with fresh herbs and olive oil for a starter, followed by one of my delicious stuffed marrows and then for dessert I could concoct a yummy moist chocolate cake with marrow in it. I'm sure you've had carrot cake so don't turn your nose up.
To tell you the truth, I haven't made a marrow cake yet and I think it might be a bit late now but the idea is brewing. I WILL get back to you about that one.
But, going back to this vegetarian stuffed marrow recipe. It's basically just a vegetarian chilli inside a marrow. Nothing could be simpler.
What you do need is good hot chilli peppers, if you like your food hot that is. Use whatever your favourites are or even just use some hot sauce instead. But it is important that the chilli has lots of flavour. The flavour will then soak into the marrow and make it just as delicious.
Ingredients for veggie chilli stuffed marrow
Here's what you need to make this recipe:
- A marrow - sometimes known as an overgrown zucchini
- Olive oil
- Red onion - Feel free to replace this with a brown onion if that's what you have
- Green chilli peppers - Red are fine too. In fact, it's great to experiment with different kinds of chilli peppers for this recipe.
- Garlic - I prefer to use fresh garlic but garlic puree or even garlic granules are fine.
- Peppers - I like to use at least two different colours to make the dish more colourful
- Aubergine
- Kidney beans - I use tinned ones and you could replace them with a different bean if you don't have any. Black beans and cannellini beans both work well.
- Tinned tomatoes - I find tinned tomatoes easiest to use but you could use fresh ones too.
- Black pepper
- Cheese - I like to use Cheddar
Can you adapt this stuffed marrow recipe?
I loved the cheese on top too. Cheese goes so well with tomatoes and chillies and makes this a really comforting dish. However, if you want to turn it into completely plant based meal then use vegan cheese or just omit it altogether.
I love fresh coriander (cilantro). Unfortunately, I didn't have any when I made this but when I do, a little fresh coriander stirred into the chilli at the end is lovely.
Feel free to vary the ingredients in the chilli too. You can also add sweetcorn or courgette (zucchini). You can replace the kidney beans with black beans too. Or indeed any kind of beans. I won't even judge if you use baked beans!
What can you serve on the side?
I often like to serve some fresh crusty bread with this as stuffed marrow can be quite a light meal by itself. You could serve tortilla chips on the side too plus extra toppings such as sour cream, salsa or avocado.
I love some of this yogurt, avocado and coriander dip on the side!
Can you freeze the leftovers?
If you can't eat all of this in one go then just put the leftovers in an airtight container and you can freeze them for up to 3 months. I usually freeze them in individual portions. Just defrost over night before cooking it again. It will reheat in about 20 minutes in the oven at 180C.
More marrow and chilli recipes
I am a big fan of stuffed marrow and one of my most popular recipes is this Spanish rice stuffed marrow. I've also got a great recipe for kidney bean and mozzarella stuffed marrow as well as marrow stuffed with leftover curry.
If you're looking for chilli recipes then why not look at one of these?
Easy chilli con carne with hidden vegetables
Vegan lentil chilli with black beans
Do also check out my recipe collection for easy spicy recipes that are perfect for midweek.
Recipe
Vegetarian Stuffed Marrow with Veggie Chilli
Ingredients
- 1 marrow (overgrown zucchini)
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 red onion finely diced
- 2 green chilli peppers sliced
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- 2 peppers, any colour sliced
- 100 g aubergine diced
- 400 g tin kidney beans drained and rinsed
- 400 g tinned chopped tomatoes
- Pinch black pepper
- 80 g cheese such as cheddar optional
Instructions
- Cut the marrow in half and scrape out all the seeds from the middle. Place on a baking tray, season and drizzle with olive oil. Bake in the oven at 180C for an hour.
- Put a little oil in a saucepan. Cook the onion, chillies and garlic gently until soft then add all the other vegetables including the kidney beans and tinned tomatoes. If it is a little dry, add a little water too and then leave to simmer for 15 minutes.
- Spoon the chilli into the marrow and return to the oven for 20 minutes.
- Serve with a little grated cheese on top. Any leftover marrow can be frozen.
Notes
Nutrition
Pin this vegetarian stuffed marrow for later!
Places I've shared this vegetarian stuffed marrow
Cook Blog Share hosted by Lizet at Chipa by the Dozen
Irene Horton
Looking forward to trying some of these amazing recipes
Corina Blum
I hope you enjoy them! Let me know. Corina
Chris from Auckland
Was given an enormous marrow so cut off a third and cooked it for Christmas Day as an extra for the vegetarians in the Family. Went down a treat and was very tasty. I enclosed the end that was cut with foil so didn’t lose the filling. Used recipe given but used a tastier cheese. I froze the rest of the marrow not cooked and excess filling so I can whip it out and make up quickly when needed. Definitely a 5 star keeper
Corina Blum
I'm so pleased it worked out well for Christmas day and really happy all the vegetarians liked it. Thanks for letting me know.
Hundred Worries.Com
Just made this tonight after found it online search. So very good. Been looking for an easy and yum stuffed marrow recipe cos I always end up throwing marrows out amazing what a days difference can do between a courgette and marrow!!! I love that this is made with beans it s pretty much a complete meal. I also added some parmesan to the bean mixture straight after cooking which may seem too much for some but I could bathe in cheese so the more the merrier for me. Thank you for sharing this
Corina Blum
It is amazing how quickly marrows can appear isn't it! I'm so pleased you liked it.
Rosemary
This is such a great recipe for this time of year when courgettes in the garden are turning into marrows!
Corina Blum
Oh yes! I know if you grown courgettes it can be so hard to manage to eat them all before they get too big!
Eb Gargano | Easy Peasy Foodie
What a fab idea! I love veggie chilli, I love marrows and I really love cheese, so I am pretty confident I would LOVE these! Eb x
Corina Blum
I'm sure you would Eb! I love marrows too. It's a shame they are only around for such a short time each year and they're not always easy to find. x
Lizet Bowen
I love all the ideas I've seen in your blog on how to use marrow. This chili and the curry one we're trying soon.
Thanks for sharing at #CookBlogShare!
Corina Blum
Thanks Lizet! I'm really pleased you like both these recipes and I hope you enjoy them both soon!
Jo Allison / Jo's Kitchen Larder
Veggie chilli in a marrow? Yes, please! I'll have mine with lots of cheese! Marrows make perfect edible bowls, don't they? Such a delicious recipe! 🙂
Corina Blum
Thanks Jo! I love lots of cheese on them too. I have to admit that I added a bit extra before we ate this!
Jacqui Bellefontaine
This looks so tasty, I'm quite a fan of marrow but you don't see it that often
Corina Blum
No, I'm not sure I've seen them in the shops. I always go vegetable picking to get them at this time of year!
Michelle Rolfe
Yum, what a great idea with all the beans in there. I must admit when I stuff vegetables I always seem to have an element of meat to them so its nice to be reminded that these are perfect without the meat content and completely filling. Must give these a go when my mother in law brings her next lot of home grown marrows to me! Thanks for sharing with #cookblogshare. Michelle
Corina Blum
Thanks Michelle! I like meaty filling too and I think I have stuffed a marrow with a meaty chilli in the past as well but it's not a recipe I've got on my blog. I'm glad you like this anyway!
petra08
I love marrow! have you tried marrow jam?
This looks so fresh and lovely. We didn't grow any this year and reading your recipe makes me miss them even more! 🙂
Corina
No, I've never tried marrow jam - that's a really unusual idea. I'll have to look into it.
Dana Fashina
I love the way you cooked this!
Initially, I read this and thought bone marrow, but this isn't that right? This looks more like eggplant but I'm not sure about that either. What does marrow mean over there?
Corina
Haha not bone marrow - I've never cooked that type of marrow! A marrow is like an overgrown courgette i.e. zucchini.
Dana Fashina
Ah! Got it.
One of these days, I'll cook bone marrow, it's on the bucket list.
Corina
I'm not sure I'll ever cook it! It might be really tasty but it's one of those things I just don't know if I could stomach.
Dana Fashina
Oh it's soooo good!
Suuuuuper high fat though, so if you don't need to eat it, don't bother 😀