Easy Stuffed Zucchini Boats Recipe With Ground Beef
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Looking for a delicious easy dinner idea? These stuffed zucchini boats recipe comes together quickly with very little prep work. Tender zucchini with a thick tomato and ground beef meat sauce, and cheese make this a classic favorite!
Why This Recipe Works
Out of all the vegetables I grow in my garden, zucchini is one of my top favorites. Not only does it produce well with very little care, it’s a flexible ingredient that can be used in so many ways.
I know during zucchini season it’s a common joke that we are begging neighbors to take our extra zucchini. But the truth is I never seem to have enough!
I make so many zucchini recipes, but one of my favorites are these stuffed zucchini boats. Tender zucchini filled with a simple meat sauce and topped with cheese just hits the spot when you want a nutritious meal without a lot of work.
- It’s such an easy zucchini recipe to make that it’s perfect for a busy weekday dinner or a family get-together.
- It uses simple ingredients you probably always have on hand.
- It’s packed with so much flavor your whole family will enjoy it, even my picky eaters love it.
- It’s a wonderful way to turn a pile of zucchini into a hearty dinner quickly.
Ingredient Notes
Zucchini – You will need 3 medium-sized fresh zucchini. If your zucchini is larger then you might only need 2.
You can use green or yellow zucchini, if you have yellow summer squash you can also use that but you might need to reduce the cooking time by a few minutes. As the yellow squash cooks a little faster than the zucchini.
Ground beef – I use medium ground beef from our local butcher. It has very little fat compared to the same type of ground beef in the grocery store. This means it doesn’t shrink very much and goes further.
Parmesan and mozzarella cheese – Adds a wonderful melty, cheese flavor and texture to the sauce.
Garlic, bell peppers, and onions – Add a pop of flavor to the filling.
Tomato sauce – I often use homemade tomato sauce but you can use any of your favorite tomato or marinara sauce for the meat sauce. If I don’t have homemade on hand I often use Classico sauce.
How To Make Stuffed Zucchini
Wash your zucchini and trim the stem and flower ends off.
Cut it in half lengthwise, then scoop out the seeds and discard. If your zucchini is very wide you will want to also scoop out enough zucchini flesh to make a good-sized hollow.
Place the hollowed-out zucchini halves into a greased 9×12 baking dish and set aside.
Note: Medium zucchini is kind of a general term. Some zucchinis are thin and others are rounder. Depending on the thickness of your zucchini you might need 2 baking pans to hold the halves.
In a large skillet brown 1 pound of ground beef with the salt and black pepper over medium-high heat.
When your meat is just about done cooking add the minced garlic, chopped onion, and diced peppers and continue cooking on medium heat until the onions are tender.
When the meat filling is done pour in the tomato sauce, Parmesan cheese, and 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese. Stir until the cheese has melted.
Spoon the meat mixture into the zucchini shells lightly stuffing them you want them nice and full but not overflowing into the pan.
Cover and bake in your preheated oven for 45 minutes.
Remove the zucchini and uncover, sprinkle with shredded mozzarella cheese, and return to the oven. Bake until the cheese is melted and bubbling about 5 minutes.
Remove from the oven and let sit for a few minutes before slicing. Top with fresh herbs if desired before serving.
Serving Suggestions
These zucchini boats are perfect served with a salad and crusty bread or garlic bread.
How To Store Baked Zucchini Boats
Leftover zucchini can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days in an airtight container. It’s easily reheated in the microwave or oven.
While you can freeze leftovers frozen zucchini can become very mushy, refrigeration is a better option.
Tips For Making Zucchini Boats
- If you are using larger zucchini check them to make sure they are tender before you add the cheese topping. If they aren’t quite done let them cook a little longer. This really helps if you have larger or thicker zucchini.
- If you have leftover meat sauce from another dish it can be used to fill the squash instead of the meat sauce in this recipe. It’s a great way to use up leftovers!
- While freezing zucchini boats ahead of time makes them mushy, you can make the filling and freeze it. Then just thaw it when you want to make stuffed zucchini. It’s a great way to save some time.
- Don’t have parmesan or mozzarella cheese on hand? Substitute your favorite cheese yes the flavor will change but they will still taste delicious even cheddar cheese can work.
- If your zucchini doesn’t have large seeds in the center you can save the core. Chop it up to use in tomato sauce, soups, or chili.
More Easy Dinner Ideas
Easy Stuffed Zucchini Boats Recipe With Ground Beef
Ingredients
- 3 medium zucchini
- 2-3 TBS. vegetable oil
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese shredded
- 3 cups of pasta sauce
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. black pepper
- 2 cloves of garlic chopped
- 1/2 large onion chopped
- 1 green pepper chopped
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese for topping
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to350F.
- Trim the ends of the zucchini, then cut in half lengthwise. Use a spoon or a melon baller to scoop out the seeds and discard. Make sure to remove enough zucchini pulp to make a good-sized hollow.
- Oil the baking dish with vegetable oil then place the zucchini halves into a 9×13 baking dish and set aside.
- Add the ground beef, salt, and pepper to your skillet and brown over medium-high heat.
- Reduce heat to medium and add the garlic, onions, and peppers. Cook until the onions are tender and the ground beef is done.
- Pour in the tomato sauce, parmesan cheese, and 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese. Stir until the cheese has melted into the meat sauce.
- Spoon the meat sauce into the hollowed zucchini.
- Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes.
- Remove the zucchini from the oven and uncover. Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella cheese over top using about 1/4 cup on each zucchini half. Return to the oven and bake for another 5 minutes or until the cheese has melted and is bubbling.
Notes
Nutrition
These values are from a nutritional database and automatically calculated, and should only be used as an approximation.
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Kim Mills is a homeschooling mom of 6 and lives on an urban homestead in Ontario, Canada. Blogging at Homestead Acres she enjoys sharing tips to help you save money, grow and preserve your own food.
