Greek Stuffed Squash Blossoms

Delicious, fragrant Greek stuffed squash blossoms with lots of herbs, juicy veggies, and rice are one of my absolute favorite summer foods.

As a child, I spend my summers in Chania. I loved watching my grandma make these amazing stuffed blossoms with ease & great skill. The flowers would be harvested from my uncle’s vegetable garden in the morning. She would fill them with a mix of herbs, rice, and juicy grated tomatoes. Then they would simmer in low heat for an hour or so and would be served as a delicious summer lunch for the whole family to enjoy. The taste was light and so fresh.

What Are Squash Blossoms & what do they taste like?

The blossoms are the edible flower of the squash/zucchini plant. Their color is bright yellow with green and white striations. They can be eaten raw in a salad or cooked. The blossoms need to be gently washed with cold water before any consumption. They have a delicate squash flavor and a velvet-like texture.

Where to find Squash Blossoms 

If you are fortunate to have a backyard or garden and live in the right climate you can always grow your own :-). Just like my uncle did in Crete. It was such a gift to be able to walk down the garden and pick fresh zucchini blossoms. Growing your own vegetables is indeed really beneficial for our minds as well as our bodies. I love this very informative post from happydiyhome.com about the benefits of gardening. I never thought how beneficial it is to our immune system as well as our mood and stress levels.

If you are like me, living in an apartment in a big city, you can typically find them at farmers markets or local specialty grocery stores starting in June and through the summer. You really have to keep an eye for them and ask at the farmer's market or store early in the season if and when they'll bring them in. The fresher the blossoms, the better they taste. They are really fragile, so it's best to buy the flowers stored in appropriate plastic containers that keep them from smashing into each other. They are highly perishable and are best used within a day of buying.

How to cook the blossoms the Cretan way

This stuffed squash blossoms recipe is fairly easy to make, and as long as you find fresh blossoms in your local farm stand, success is guaranteed. I also find that it is a meditative experience to wash and dry the blossoms, then fill each one with the light-as-air rice mixture. 

1. Place the blossoms on a kitchen towel.  Gently open the blossom and cut the little stem inside, using kitchen shears or a sharp pair of scissors. Cut the outside stem also. Fill a large bowl with water and place it next to the blossoms.

2. Emerge each blossom into the water, give it a small swirl for a sec and take it out. Shake it very gently and place it on the kitchen towel to dry.

Mix all filling ingredients in a large bowl. (If you are using the San Marzano tomatoes, place them in a bowl first and squish them with your hands to get all the juices out and turn them into much smaller pieces). Season with salt and pepper.

3. Gently open one squash blossom and, using a small spoon, place some of the mixture inside.

4. Close each blossom petal in a criss-cross pattern if you can. Wrap the last petal carefully under the blossom and place it on a large pot.

5. Repeat filling the rest of the blossoms, placing each in a circular motion inside the pot. Make sure they snuggly fit with each other. Add 2 cups of water.

6. Place a plate upside down on the blossoms to lock their position. Simmer in low heat for 1 hour. Gently lift the plate (careful, it's hot!) to check if they are fully cooked.

The Greek stuffed squash blossoms are best enjoyed with a fresh yogurt sauce. Just cut up some herbs, mix them with Greek yogurt, add a sprinkle of extra virgin olive oil, and voila, the yogurt sauce. Or you can make tzatziki, the fantastic garlicky dip that Greeks swear by.

You can also try:

• This homemade pita bread recipe is super delicious, easy and quick.
• These Greek zucchini & feta fritters are a perfect snack or appetizer.
• You can't go wrong with traditional keftedes-Greek Meatballs.
• This roasted tomato & olive appetizer has lots of garlic, fresh herbs and lovely extra virgin olive oil.

If you’ve tried this recipe or any other on The Greek Foodie, then don’t forget to rate it and leave me a comment below! I would love to hear about your experience making it.

Greek Stuffed Squash Blossoms

by Jenny Skrapaliori Graves

Greek style stuffed squash blossoms filled with herbs, juicy veggies and rice.

5 from 8 votes

Print Recipe

Prep Time 1 hr

Cook Time 1 hr

Cuisine Greek

Servings 6

Calories 234 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ▢ 40 squash blossoms
• ▢ 2 cups lomg grain rice uncooked. I use Carolina.
• ▢ 1¼ cup zucchini grated
• ▢ 1 cup potato grated
• ▢ 2 cups onions finely diced
• ▢ ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
• ▢ 3 cups tomatoes grated , skin and seeds removed or 28 oz San Marzanno tomatoes like Gustarosso
• ▢ 1 cup fresh mint chopped
• ▢ 1 cup fresh parsley chopped
• ▢ salt
• ▢ fresh ground pepper

Instructions

 

Prepare the blossoms

• Place the blossoms on a kitchen towel.
• Gently open the blossom and cut the little stem inside, using kitchen shears or a sharp pair of scissors. Cut the outside stem also.
• Fill a large bowl with water and place it next to the blossoms. Emerge each blossom into the water give it a small swirl for a sec and take it out. Shake it very gently and place it on the kitchen towel to dry.

Make the filling and fill the blossoms

• Mix all filling ingredients in a large bowl. (If you are using the San Marzanno tomatoes, place  them in a bowl first and squish them with your hands to get all the juices out and turn them into much smaller pieces). Season with salt and pepper.
• Gently open the blossom and, using a small spoon, place some of the mixture inside. Close each blossom petal in a criss cross pattern if you can. Wrap the last petal carefully under the blossom and place it on a large pot.
• Repeat filling the rest of the blossoms, placing each in a circular motion inside the pot. Make sure they snuggly fit with each other. Add 2 cups of water. Place a plate upside down on the blossoms, to lock their position.
• Simmer in low heat for 1 hour. Gently lift the plate (careful, it's hot!) to check if they are fully cooked.
• Serve with your favorite yogurt sauce.

Notes

This recipe is for 40 blossoms but you can easily cut it in half for 20 blossoms. An average portion is 5-6 blossoms. 

If you have left over mixture you can just cook it on the stove (add a little stock if needed), add your favorite protein et voila! Dinner is ready.

Nutrition

Serving: 6blossomsCalories: 234kcalCarbohydrates: 17gProtein: 3gFat: 18gSaturated Fat: 3gSodium: 18mgPotassium: 567mgFiber: 4gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 1833IUVitamin C: 41mgCalcium: 60mgIron: 2mg

Keyword Cretan recipe, greek recipe, Kretan recipe, Stuffed vegetables, stuffed zucchini blossoms

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