Ricotta Stuffed Squash Blossoms with Fresh Lemon Zest and Aleppo Pepper

OMG, if you have never made squash blossoms before, run, don’t walk to the farmer’s market and pick up a bunch before they disappear! These make such a pretty appetizer or snack. They are fun to make and fun to eat!

Squash blossoms show up at the farmer’s market towards the end of the summer. They are the flower that zucchini grow out of so they are attached to the top side of the zucchini. The farmers cut them off and sell them in little bunches. When you bring them home, be sure to check inside them for little buggies before you stuff them.

Stuff them with store bought or homemade ricotta. I have a recipe for almond ricotta in my book Wait, That’s Vegan?! and a recipe for tofu ricotta in my book The Vegan ABCs Cookbook.

Ricotta Stuffed Squash Blossoms with Fresh Lemon Zest and Aleppo Pepper

Ingredients

  • 12 squash blossoms
  • 1/2 cup ricotta
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil + more for pan frying
  • Salt, to taste
  • Fresh lemon zest, a few scrapes on a microplane
  • Aleppo pepper, a few pinches

Instructions

  1. Clean the squash blossoms.

  2. Mix the ricotta with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and season with salt.

  3. Gently open the squash blossoms and drop in the ricotta mixture, just enough to fill the bottom portion before the delicate leaves start.

  4. Heat olive oil in a nonstick skillet or cast iron pan. Add the squash blossoms, as many as you can without crowding the pan. Turn over when the first side starts to brown. Drain on paper towels.

  5. To serve, plate and top with lemon zest and Aleppo pepper. Enjoy!

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