Zucchini Boats Are The Best Way To Health-ify Your Favorite Recipes

Have you ever heard of zucchini boats? They are a healthier way to eat…everything! Just slice your summer zucchinis in half, pile on the goods, and you have an amazing meal! Here are our favorite zucchini boat recipes for you to try this week, from pizza to Mediterranean to Italian.

Pizza Stuffed Zucchini Boats

Thanks to Downshiftology for this recipe!

Ingredients

• 4 large zucchini

• 1 lb of Italian sausage

• 1 cup of marinara sauce

• 4 ounces of mozzarella (grated)

• 24 slices of pepperoni

• Fresh basil for the garnish

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 375°F. 

2. Add the sausage to a pan on medium heat. Use a spatula to break and stir the mixture up. Cook the sausage until it’s cooked through and browned. 

3. Pour the marinara sauce on top of the cooked sausage and stir it together. Remove the mixture from the heat. 

4. Slice the zucchini in half and use a small spoon to scoop out the seeds. Leave  ¼ or ½-inch of flesh around the outside of the zucchini. 

5. Place the zucchini on a baking sheet and dollop several spoonfuls of sausage and sauce into each zucchini half. Fill each of the halves to the top and add the mozzarella cheese and several slices of pepperoni. 

6. Bake the boats for 20-25 minutes until they’re tender and crispy. If you’d like softer zucchini, bake a few minutes longer. 

7. Serve the stuffed zucchini boats while they’re warm and enjoy!

Italian Stuffed Zucchini Boats

Thanks to The Modern Proper for this recipe!

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp of extra virgin olive oil

• 1 lb of ground chicken

• 6 garlic cloves (minced)

• 2 tsp of salt

• 1 + ½ tsp of Italian seasoning 

• 1 tsp of fennel seeds (optional)

• ½ tsp of red pepper flakes (optional)

• 2 Tbsp of tomato paste

• 1 can of crushed tomatoes

• 1 cup of heavy cream

• ½ cup of freshly grated parmesan cheese

• 4 cups of kale (ribs removed, torn, and packed)

• 4 medium zucchini (cut in half lengthwise, centers scooped out and discarded)

• 2 cups of mozzarella cheese

• ¼ cup of basil leaves (thinly sliced)

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 400°F. 

• Heat the olive oil in a large, oven-proof skillet. Add the chicken, ½ of the garlic, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning, fennel seeds, and ¼ teaspoon of red pepper flakes. Stir until everything is combined and the chicken is cooked through. This should take about 5 minutes. Transfer the ground chicken to a bowl or a plate. 

• Add tomato paste, the remaining garlic, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes to the same skillet. Cook until just fragrant — about 1 minute.

• Add the crushed tomatoes and remaining salt and bring to a simmer for 3 minutes. 

• Stir in the heavy cream, ¼ cup of parmesan cheese and kale, and stir for another 3 minutes. Turn the heat off and let it sit. 

• Carefully settle the zucchini into the sauce in the skillet. Fill the zucchini boats with the chicken mixture, then cover the skillet with a lid or foil and bake for 10 minutes. 

• Remove the pan from the oven and top the chicken with the mozzarella cheese and remaining ¼ cup of parmesan cheese. Bake uncovered in the oven for 15 more minutes. 

• Serve with fresh basil.

Onion and Garlic Zucchini Boats

Thanks to Spend With Pennies for this recipe!

Ingredients

• 2 large zucchini 

• 1 onion

• 1 clove of garlic

• 1 lb of ground beef

• 1 tomato (diced)

• 1 bell pepper (diced)

• 1 cup of pasta sauce or marinara (divided)

• 1 + ½ tsp of Italian seasoning 

• ¼ tsp of pepper

• 1 cup of mozzarella cheese (divided)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. 

2. Brown the ground beef, onion, and garlic until no pink remains and drain the fat. Stir in ½ cup of pasta sauce, tomato, bell pepper, and Italian seasoning. Let the mixture simmer for about 10 minutes, then remove it from the heat and stir in ½ of the cheese. 

3. Slice the zucchini lengthwise and scoop the center out to create a shell. Place it in a baking dish. Fill each zucchini with ¼ of the beef mixture. 

4. Spread the remaining ½ cup of pasta sauce over the zucchini boats and top with the rest of the cheese. 

5. Bake for 25 minutes, or until the zucchini is soft and the cheese is bubbly.

Mediterranean Zucchini Boats

Thanks to FoodieCrush for this recipe!

Ingredients

• 3 medium zucchini

• 2 Tbsp of extra virgin olive oil

• 1 lb of ground turkey sausage

• 2 Tbsp of dried oregano

• 1 tsp of kosher salt

• ½ tsp of freshly ground black pepper

• ½ cup of chopped yellow onions

• 4 garlic cloves (pressed or minced)

• 1 egg (lightly beaten)

• 1 cup of bread crumbs 

• ½ cup of pitted kalamata olives (halved)

• ½ cup of sun dried tomatoes in oil (drained and chopped)

• ½ cup of fresh basil 

• ¼ cup of pine nuts

• ¼ cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. 

2. Slice the zucchini in half lengthwise from stem to stem. Scoop out the center and set it aside. 

3. Heat the oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat. Add in the ground turkey sausage and cook for 5 minutes, stirring and breaking it into smaller pieces. Add the onion, garlic, oregano, salt, black pepper, and reserved zucchini pulp and cook until the onion is softened and the turkey is no longer pink. 

4. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the whisked egg, bread crumbs, olives, sun dried tomatoes, ¾ of the basil, pine nuts, and half of the Parmesan cheese. Toss and mix everything well. 

5. Spoon the stuffing into the zucchini boats and place them in a 9 x 12 inch baking dish or baking sheet. Sprinkle the boats with the remaining Parmesan cheese. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for 10-15 more minutes, or until the zucchini are fork tender. 

6. Serve hot with the remaining basil and more Parmesan cheese if you want!

Vegan Stuffed Zucchini Boats

Thanks to The Conscious Plant Kitchen for this recipe!

Ingredients

• 4 large zucchini (cut in halves lengthwise and deseeded)

• 1 Tbsp of olive oil

• ½ of a small red onion (minced)

• ½ of a small red bell pepper (deseeded and diced)

• 1 can of black beans (rinsed and drained)

• ½ cup of corn kernel

• ¾ tsp of garlic powder

• 1 tsp of paprika

• ½ tsp of cumin

• ¼ tsp of chili powder

• ½ tsp of oregano

• ¼ tsp of salt

• ⅓ cup of tomato paste

• ⅓ cup of tomato passata

• ¼ cup of vegetable broth

To Serve:

• 1 ripe avocado (diced)

• ¼ Tbsp of spicy salsa sauce

• ¼ cup of coconut yogurt

• ¼ cup of fresh cilantro

• ¼ cup of corn kernel

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Coat a large baking dish with olive oil. 

2. Cut the zucchini in half lengthways. Use a teaspoon to scoop out the flesh. 

3. Place each zucchini half next to each other on the baking dish. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of salt all over the zucchini halves and set aside for 20 minutes to ‘sweat’ the zucchini. 

4. Warm olive oil in a large skillet. Add the diced onion and cook for 1 minute until fragrant. Stir in the diced red bell pepper and cook for another 1-2 minutes until softened. 

5. Stir in the cooked black beans, corn kernel, and spices. Cook for 1 minute and stir often. 

6. Add in the tomato passata, tomato paste, and vegetable broth. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until the sauce has thickened. 

7. Spoon the filling into the hollow zucchini boats. 

8. Cover the pan loosely with foil and bake for 10-15 minutes, or until the zucchini is cooked through. 

9. Top with avocado, salsa, yogurt, cilantro, and corn kernel.

Our stomachs are growling, how about yours? Which recipe was your favorite? Comment below!

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