This Italian Stuffed Zucchini Boats recipe has a lean ground turkey and veggie filling with marinara and plenty of mozzarella cheese. It’s a hearty, low-carb way to satisfy your craving for Italian food.
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““I have made this recipe at least a dozen times! It is fantastic.”
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Reader Favorite Recipe
We have always been serious pasta lovers in this house, so I was surprised by just how satisfying these zucchini boats were the first time I made them. And we’re not alone! Over the years, this recipe has become a solid reader favorite and one of the most-loved recipes on Valerie’s Kitchen.
There are a few key things that make this recipe work so well:
- Hearty but lighter: The ground turkey and vegetable filling is satisfying, while part-skim mozzarella helps keep things on the lighter side.
- Simple ingredients: Jarred marinara adds plenty of flavor while keeping the filling easy to prepare.
- Perfectly tender zucchini: My two-step baking method ensures the zucchini is tender all the way through, never firm or crunchy.
- A little crunch: Toasted breadcrumbs add great texture without adding many carbs.
- A meal in itself: With ground turkey and plenty of vegetables tucked into each boat, you really don’t need much on the side.
- Family-friendly flavors: Marinara, ground meat, and melted mozzarella give these zucchini boats familiar Italian flavors that appeal to kids and adults alike.
Ingredient Notes
- Zucchini: Choose medium, uniformly sized zucchini so the boats cook evenly and are similar in size for serving.
- Ground turkey: I use 93% lean ground turkey for a lighter filling that still has plenty of flavor. Ground beef works well, too.
- Marinara sauce: A good-quality tomato basil marinara keeps this recipe easy while adding lots of flavor. You’ll use it both in the filling and underneath the zucchini boats.
- Vegetables: The filling is loaded with onion, garlic, red bell pepper, cremini mushrooms, fresh parsley, and the scooped-out zucchini. Cremini mushrooms add an especially savory, meaty quality.
- Seasonings: A simple blend of Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper, plus optional red pepper flakes for a little kick.
- Cheese: Part-skim mozzarella melts beautifully while keeping things a little lighter, and Parmesan cheese adds a salty, savory bite.
- Panko breadcrumbs: Italian-style panko adds a light, crispy finish after a quick trip under the broiler.
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How to Prep the Zucchini
- Slice the zucchini. Trim the ends from the zucchini, then slice each one in half lengthwise.
- Scoop out the centers. Lightly score around the inside of each zucchini half with a sharp knife, being careful not to cut through the skin. Use the tip of a spoon to scrape out the flesh.
- Chop the zucchini. Chop the reserved zucchini flesh and set it aside. You’ll add it to the meat and vegetable filling later.
- Partially bake the zucchini. Arrange the hollowed zucchini boats in a baking dish with about 1 inch of water. Cover and bake until just slightly fork-tender.
How to Make Italian Stuffed Zucchini Boats
- Cook the turkey and vegetables. Cook the ground turkey with the onion, bell pepper, and garlic until the turkey is cooked through and the vegetables are tender.
- Add the remaining ingredients. Stir in the reserved zucchini, mushrooms, marinara, parsley, and seasonings.
- Simmer the meat filling. Let the mixture simmer briefly to develop the flavors and thicken slightly.
- Fill the zucchini boats. Spread the reserved marinara in the baking dish, arrange the zucchini boats over the sauce, and spoon the filling into each one. Cover and bake until tender.
- Add the topping. Sprinkle the zucchini boats with mozzarella, Parmesan, and panko bread crumbs.
- Broil until golden. Broil briefly until the cheese is melted and the panko is golden brown.
Reader-Tested Variations
Over the years, readers have shared some really great ideas for how they’ve made this recipe their own. Here are a some of my favorite variations taken straight from the comments section below:
- Try a different protein: Readers have had great results with ground beef, Italian sausage, chicken sausage, ground chicken, and even a combination of ground beef and Italian sausage. For a meatless option, one reader used crispy tofu, while others simply left out the meat.
- Add more veggies: Toss in whatever you have on hand. Readers have added spinach, olives, and a variety of other vegetables to the filling.
- Switch up the cheese: Mozzarella is my go-to, but readers have successfully used other cheeses, including cheddar Jack. One reader even tucked a mozzarella stick into each zucchini boat before adding the filling!
- Grill the zucchini: Instead of partially baking the hollowed zucchini, some readers have given it a head start on the grill before filling and baking.
- Make them “unstuffed”: One reader chopped the zucchini and cooked everything together in a skillet, leaving off the breadcrumbs for a quicker stovetop version.
- Use the extra filling: Have leftover filling? One reader used it to make stuffed baked potatoes the next day. Or, just scatter it around the stuffed zucchini boats for an even meatier dish.
Storage Tips
Refrigerate: Transfer leftover zucchini boats to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
Reheat: Reheat individual servings in the microwave until warmed through, or cover and reheat in a 350°F oven until hot.
Freeze: You can freeze the cooked zucchini boats, but keep in mind that the zucchini will have a softer texture after thawing. Transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 2 to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Love zucchini? Be sure to try my Taco Stuffed Zucchini Boats for a fun Mexican-inspired twist. And for more ways to put fresh zucchini to work, check out my Zucchini Lasagna, Zucchini Pizza Casserole, and Skillet Parmesan Chicken and Zucchini.
Italian Stuffed Zucchini Boats
This Italian Stuffed Zucchini Boats recipe has a lean ground turkey and veggie filling with marinara and plenty of mozzarella cheese. It’s a hearty, low-carb way to satisfy your craving for Italian food.
Video
Ingredients
- 3 medium zucchini, uniformly-sized
- 24 to 26 ounce jar tomato basil marinara, divided
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound 93% lean ground turkey or beef
- ⅓ cup diced onion
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- ⅓ cup diced red bell pepper
- ½ cup chopped brown button (cremini) mushrooms
- ¼ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon salt
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
- 1 ½ cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
- ¼ cup shredded Parmesan
- 2 tablespoons Italian style panko bread crumbs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 °F. Measure out 1 cup of the marinara sauce and set aside.
- Trim ends from zucchini and slice in half, lengthwise. Use the tip of a spoon to scrape out the zucchini flesh (see recipe note), chop it and set it aside. Place the scooped out zucchini boats into a 13- x 9-inch baking dish and add about 1-inch of water. Cover with foil and bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes, until just slightly fork-tender. Remove from oven, and set aside to cool slightly.
- Meanwhile, add olive oil to a 12-inch skillet and place over MEDIUM heat. Add turkey (or beef), onion, bell pepper, and garlic to the skillet. Cook, stirring to break up the ground meat as it cooks. Continue to cook and stir until meat is thoroughly cooked and veggies have softened. Drain off as much grease as possible and return the skillet to the heat.
- Add the chopped zucchini flesh, mushrooms, remaining marinara in jar (reserve 1 cup for later), parsley, Italian seasoning, salt, fresh ground black pepper, and crushed red pepper. Stir well to combine. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat and allow to simmer over low heat for about 15 minutes.
- Remove partially cooked zucchini from baking dish and pour off water. Pour the 1 cup of reserved marinara sauce into the empty baking dish and place zucchini boats on top of the sauce.
- Divide the filling between the zucchini boats. If you have extra filling, spoon it into the dish around the zucchini boats. Cover the dish with foil, and bake for 20 minutes, or until zucchini is fork tender. Remove dish from oven and set oven to BROIL.
- Remove foil and sprinkle zucchini boats with mozzarella, Parmesan and the panko bread crumbs. Place dish in oven, watching closely, and cook for just a couple of minutes until cheese has melted and bread crumbs are golden brown.
Notes
Tip for scraping out zucchini flesh. Use a sharp knife to lightly score the zucchini to outline the area you want to scoop out being very careful not to cut through. You just want an outline. Use the tip of a spoon to scrape the flesh out and on to a cutting board.
Storage and Reheating
Refrigerate: Transfer leftover zucchini boats to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
Reheat: Reheat individual servings in the microwave until warmed through, or cover and reheat in a 350°F oven until hot.
Freeze: You can freeze the cooked zucchini boats, but keep in mind that the zucchini will have a softer texture after thawing. Transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 2 to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Nutrition
Calories: 301kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 84mg | Sodium: 527mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 4g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated using generic ingredients, and is an estimate not a guarantee. For more accurate results, please refer to the labels on your ingredients at home.
Like this? Please rate & comment below!
These were terrific!!
Substituted the Turkey for Italian Sausage. Yummmmm.
It would be wonderful with Italian sausage. Thanks, Pops! 🙂
This looks wonderful. Can it be frozen?
If were to freeze this recipe I’d be inclined to just freeze the meat mixture and then scrape out fresh zucchini for filling when ready to bake.
These were EXCELLENT! Used lean ground beef.
Fantastic! Thanks, Val 🙂
Turkey has like 9 calories less that ground beef. Why torture yourself? Leave one forkful on the plate and use real food
We love ground turkey recipes here! This isn’t a sacrifice for me, it is a preferred choice for this recipe and many others. Turkeys everywhere are offended that you don’t hold them in the same esteem as cows 🙂
Turkey is real food….
Turkey is real food and won’t clog your arteries like ground beef – not to mention pink slime and a host of other problems.
Some of us can’t eat red meat due to ditary problems.
Do you eat the whole Zucchini or just the stuffing?
The whole shebang, Lori!
Loved it! Thanks! My only problem with it is that the recipe isn’t easily printed.
All the recipes on my site are printable, Michelle. Just look for the “Print” icon just below the photo on the recipe card.
go to bottom of page to recipe and in a small gray box under picture it says print. very easy , good luck
If you are using an iPad you need to click on the 3 dots next to the forward arrow in the top right corner of the screen and scroll down to “Open in Safari”. After you open in Safari – if you click on the word print it will work.
Can these be frozen? I am single and could not eat all up before they go bad. Thanks!
I haven’t tried freezing them but if I did, I’d be inclined to portion out and freeze the filling by itself. That way you could use fresh zucchini and just the amount of filling you need for a meal.
I have frozen my stuffed zucchini & yellow squash boats. They reheat just fine. Almost as good as when frehsly made.
I’ve frozen and they reheat perfect!!
Fantastic! Thanks so much, Gina 🙂
Why wouldn’t they be? It’s just cooked meat and vegetables. Cook them let them cool then portion them into freezer bags and freeze. To reheat just microwave on high for a few minutes.
Wow that some people are so helpless about cooking!
Some high water content vegetables, like zucchini, might not fare that well after freezing and defrosting so I think it’s a very valid question. My preference would be to use fresh zucchini but I totally get the convenience of frozen food.
No need to shame people for asking a common question. Not everything freezes well.
Yes, Kate! This is the place to ask questions and I hope I can help anyone find their answers. I appreciate so much my generous readers who come back and share their experience after making my recipes. Reader input makes this site even more valuable to everyone. 🙂
Why the rudeness? BE KIND
Why the rudeness, people ask because they don’t know.
This is I fantastic recipe and thank you ?. Whether you freeze it or not it is deelicious!!! I added garlic ,fresh basil and a little Guyer cheese. There are so many ways to create a beautiful tasty dish using herbs!! Good eats, Mangia Bene as we Italians say!!!!
This recipe was amazing – so tasty! Thanks!
You’re so welcome, Joy. Glad you enjoyed it 🙂
This was delicious! Thank you
You got it, Tanya!
Can you provide the nutritional value? I need it for a program I am doing. Thank u!
I don’t provide nutritional information at this time, Aimee. There are a variety of nutritional calculators available online. You should be able to locate one with a quick Google search.
Can this be frozen before baking?
I haven’t tried freezing them but if I did, I’d be inclined to portion out and freeze the filling by itself. That way you could use fresh zucchini and just the amount of filling you need for a meal.
Why on Earth would you freeze it before cooking? You should cook it and then freeze it and then to reheat simply microwave.
Due to popular demand, I have updated this recipe to include the nutritional information!
What is the serving size?
The recipe makes a total of 6 servings – 1 zucchini boat per serving.
Oops. I guess I thought I was three people. They were so good!
Haha! Thanks, Mike. 🙂
healthy and tasty! thanks for the recipe! gotta try it!
Yummy