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!
I made these today. They are excellent! I used 99% lean ground turkey seasoned with the spices as stated in the recipe along with seasoning salt, garlic powder, & garlic salt (I used these last 2 seasonings because I didn’t have garlic). I also used a green pepper instead of a red pepper (only because the green pepper was less expensive). I ate them with white rice and green beans.
I think the estimated time is way off. 20 minutes for the zucchini in the beginning, Brown the turkey then simmer for 15, fill the boats and cook for another 20, then melt the cheese… not to mention all of the vegetable prep work. This is closer to an hour or an hour and a half.
Yes, it took more than 25 minutes to prep – more like an hour, not counting cooking time. I only precooked the zucchini for 15 minutes as I didn’t want it overcooked. Turned out perfectly!
This is our favorite zuccini recipe ever! I make it at least once a week and it is always delicious! My oven broke and I couldn’t bake for a month, the first thing I made when I got a new range was this!
Delicious! Used ground beef because it was what I had, and it was fabulous! Trying to cut carbs but we love spaghetti, so I served it over 1 cup of spaghetti with plain sauce and it gave us our pasta fix, with the bonus of all the veggies and great flavor! Very filling, which was unexpected for my husband because he wanted to eat two but couldnt!
This was delicious. I used ground turkey and two Italian sausages, which I cooked down, along with fresh basil and parsley from my garden. The end result was fabulous. Thanks for sharing.
@valerie … i made this, again, last night and, as usual, it was a spectacular hit .. this time i added some of the italian sausages costco sells — broke up two and added to the burger ….
i have gone through a lot of recipes in the past few years {we have a lot of *brick bat* size zuch and this is how we deal with them!} and have only found one other recipe that softens the skin, boat. i have made it without softening the boat, but it comes out hard and no one really likes it .. softening the boat makes a HUGE difference in the taste — the zucchini is actually eaten — and the *likeability* of the dish …
thanks for this recipe, your patience in responding to the comments {i read a lot of them!!!}, and your time and trouble to include the nutritional info …
YES! Thank you so much, Darlene. I think that first step of softening the zucchini a bit is vital to the success of this recipe. You are so sweet and thoughtful. Thanks for your wonderful comment 🙂
This was the best zucchini ever! So yummy, my husband loved it too! I had leftover filling so I made more the next night it was that good! It is my new “lasagna” go to. Our Paleo eating friend loved them too! Great recipe, will not make any other recipe, as my husband said “why change a great thing”…..
The first time we made these, my 5 year old grandson who “hates zucchini and mushrooms” pronounced these “vegetable boats” (as we called them) wonderful. We liked them so much we are having them for supper again tonight, Thank you for a great dish!
That is adorable, Mary Jo! It warms my heart to hear how many little ones have been enjoying this dish. Thank you so much for your comment!
Deliciousness to the max! Honestly, the best zucchini boats I have ever had.
Thanks!!
Wow, just ran into this recipe a few weeks ago, and am making it for the third time! Thank you! My modification was with scooping out the Zucchini. I prefer to scoop it out with a spoon, just after I cut it open. I use a soup spoon for the larger zucchini, and a serving spoon for the skinny ones. Works like a charm. Then I invert the Zucchini in the dish and cook it that way for the first 20 minutes. Thank you so much for the idea!
Hi Valerie! LOVED this recipe! My daughter called and told me I had to make this delicious recipe she found on pinterest. When I found out it was from you, I knew it would be good. I love all your recipes 🙂
Hi Dawn! I’ve had several people stumble across this recipe the very same way. So funny! I’m glad you liked it and thank you so much for letting me know 🙂
I love that you use turkey! Lots of people like me are allergic to beef.
Could this dish be prepared ahead of time and refrigerated a few hours before baking it (adding some extra time to bake)? Thanks!
Absolutely! I might advise that you take a minute or two off the first bake of the zucchini as they might soften a bit as they sit in the fridge with the filling but the dish reheats beautifully so I think advance prep would work just fine.
Just wanted to thank you for your reply to my question. And I also wanted to let you know that I did prepare the recipe ahead, following your suggestions, and it turned out perfectly. It was delicious! Thanks for the great recipe!
You are so welcome, Joyce!