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.
Servings: 6
Calories: 301kcal
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.
Video
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