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.”
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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.
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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!
The zucchini boats were delicious! I used lean ground turkey and added 2 cooked links spicy chicken sausage(out of casing) to the mix. I didn’t bake the zucchini prior either. I baked boats at 400 degrees for 20 minutes covered and 10 more minutes uncovered to make sure zucchini was cooked through and it worked perfectly!
Delicious! I added a little more seasoning because it seemed a little bland. I omitted the bread crumbs and they still came out delicious! My family enjoyed them. This recipe is going in my recipe book. Thanks for sharing!
Trying this out for the first time tonight. I’m using ground turkey Italian sausage instead of just ground turkey and I’ll try, as suggested above, adding some melted butter to the bread crumbs! Can’t wait to try it!
This is a wonderful recipe and so delicious! I make this when zucchini season is upon us. For an easier version, I use Hot Italian Sausage in place of the turkey thus eliminating some of the spices called for. Calorie/carb count? For goodness sake, unless you are pairing this with a double loaded cheeseburger and fries, it’s a great healthy meal! Or instead of the meat, use Stove Top stuffing.
We’ve got tons of zucchini and other veggies in our garden. Just picked up some ground lamb and will be trying this tonight! I plan on cooking some quinoa and adding that to my filling, too. Thanks for the recipe! Yum!
YUM. I was trying to find more reasons to eat the gigantic squash that my garden has been producing and this was the perfect recipe. I have been leaving cheese out of my diet, but I couldn’t resist for this recipe and I’m SO glad I didn’t! The cheese topping was delicious. The only part of the recipe that I changed was that I replaced the mushrooms for olives, seeing as I’m not a mushroom person. Thanks for posting Valerie, I will definitely be using this recipe again.
You are so welcome! I love olives and think they’d be really delicious in this. Thanks so much, Alexa 🙂
Hi There! I had to “smile”, reading this, as “i too”, could never imagine life “without pasta”….Then, one day, having dinner with our friends, talking food at an Italian restrurant…Her husband just “blurted out”…Think about it, “pasta HAS NO FLAVOR…It’s “what you put ON IT”….I’m a real italian, my parents from Italy….But “it did “make sense”…So when I get the URGE , for that lovely tomato sauce, but trying to “cut down the carbs….I’ll either make this recipe or “sometimes “just pour the sauce over an egg and POUCH it!(medium well, a little running) Yum!
We just finished a pan of this and it was SUPER!! Wife and kids loved it too. I did make a couple changes that kinda reflect our personal tastes though. We all hate turkey, so I ground chicken thigh fillets with a good handful of fresh basil leaves from the garden. I also tripled the garlic because, well, we love garlic! lol Seriously this is one awesome recipe to add to our many reasons to grow lots of zucchini every year. The only downside is I won’t have as much to make pickles with if I keep cooking it in recipes this good!
Thank you Valerie! This is truly one for the books!
So glad to hear this, Ray! Your changes sound fabulous. Thanks so much for sharing 🙂
Hubs and I added slices of pepperoni before the cheese and skipped the breadcrumbs sincecwere doing low carb. Added that extra Italian flavor Never seen a man polish off a veggie dish so fast !!
Sounds delicious, Kelley!
Has anyone tried making this without precooking the zucchini!? Wondered if you just stuffed and baked if it would turn out?
when you do that, stuff it without softening the zuch, the boat itself stays hard and, in my home, lots of people don’t eat it … so, soften it and be careful of the steam as you pull off the foil and don’t overcook as the zuch breaks apart …
DELICIOUS! Terrific recipe. My 9 year old wanted it for her birthday dinner as she loved it during regular meal time. TIP: Do NOT over-cook….as I did the second time. Nobody likes mushy zucchini 🙁 My fault, not the recipe…but I do have to figure out what the right temp/time for MY oven is!
I’ve been thrilled to hear how much kids are enjoying this recipe. And, yes, you really need to watch that zucchini on the first bake to be sure it gets just slightly tender so it doesn’t go too far on the 2nd round in the oven. Thanks, Marie!
This recipe is delicious. I added some baby spinach and chicago steak seasoning (because i used turkey). Also i tossed the breadcrumbs with alittle melted butter. Added marsala wine to the sauce. AMAZING!!!!!
Hi Tenna. I’m really loving hearing about all the different things people have done with this recipe. Your modifications sound wonderful and I’m so glad you enjoyed it 🙂