Low-Carb Stuffed Zucchini Boats Recipe
on Jun 21, 2022, Updated Mar 27, 2024
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A great low carb stuffed zucchini boats recipe is the best way to use large zucchini and make an easy weeknight meal for taco night.
They are filled with onions, garlic, ground beef, taco seasoning, and diced tomatoes, and are topped with shredded cheddar cheese.
Filled with these healthy ingredients, these taco stuffed zucchini boats will be your new favorite way to eat zucchini.
Why make Low Carb Zucchini Boats
These delicious zucchini boats are keto friends and the perfect low carb dinner.
They have plenty of vitamin C and are easily adaptable to make in different ways based on what you like best.
If you have taco cravings, this stuffed zucchini boats recipe is exactly what you need!
Ingredients:
This healthy recipe is made with simple ingredients that you can easily get from your local grocery store or even Amazon Fresh.
- Zucchini
- Olive oil
- Onion
- Garlic
- Ground beef
- Taco seasoning
- Diced tomatoes
- Shredded cheddar cheese
How to Make Zucchini Boats
Preheat the oven to 400°F and coat a large baking tray with oil or cooking spray.
Cut the fresh zucchini in half longways and trim the tops off.
Scoop the zucchini flesh out with a spoon or small ice cream scooper, setting aside the scooped zucchini to use later.
Line the hollow zucchini boats out onto your greased baking pan and bake for 15 minutes.
While the zucchini boats are baking, dice onion and garlic. Chop zucchini the set aside zucchini pieces.
Cook the onion over medium-high heat until translucent.
Add the ground beef to the pan and break up with a spatula.
Once all ground beef is broken up, drain any excess fat and add taco seasoning, half of the chopped zucchini pieces, and diced tomatoes with chiles and garlic.
Saute until the beef is completely cooked through.
Once the zucchini boats are finished baking, remove them from the oven and stuff zucchini with the ground beef mixture.
Sprinkle the tops with plenty of cheese and bake for additional 15 minutes.
You’ll know it’s done when the zucchini is tender and the cheese is completely melted and bubbly.
Serve and enjoy!
Tips for Success
This zucchini boat recipe is delicious with these simple ingredients, however, you can make changes based on your tastes or preferences.
Here are some options to help you make these easy stuffed zucchini boats.
- Substitute other meat like ground chicken, ground turkey, pulled pork, or Italian sausage.
- Olive oil can be subbed with other cooking oils like avocado oil or sunflower oil.
- Garlic cloves can be subbed with 2 tablespoons of minced garlic.
- My favorite cheese mixture for this recipe is a mix of shredded cheddar cheese and Colby jack, but mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, or pepper jack also tastes amazing sprinkled on top.
- If the cheese is browning too quickly, you can loosely place some tin foil over the top of the zucchini boats while they cook.
- Make it creamy by adding ricotta cheese, cottage cheese, or cream cheese to the filling.
How to Make Sure the Sauce isn’t too Thin
Depending on the fat content of your beef mixture, your boat filling may contain too much liquid.
If you want the sauce to be thicker, you can remove the additional liquid from the pan with a slotted spoon before filling the zucchini with the mixture.
Or you can spoon the liquid over your stuffed boats for a lot of flavor while cooking.
Another option is to allow the sauce to simmer down over medium heat until the mixture is thicker.
What to Serve with Zucchini Boats
Serve this zucchini recipe with side dishes that go well with the classic flavors of tomato sauce and ground beef.
Some options to pair delicious stuffed zucchini with are jalapeno pineapple salsa, cilantro lime rice, or roasted potatoes.
How to Store
Store leftover keto zucchini boats in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days.
Reheat them in the oven, air fryer, or microwave until they’re hot.
Can you Freeze Zucchini Boats?
Freezing zucchini boats is a great way to prep and save them for later.
You can make the meat mixture, fill the zucchini boats, wrap them tightly, and store them in the freezer for up to three months.
Allow them to thaw in the fridge and then bake in the oven until they’re hot all the way through and the melty cheese is bubbly on top.
FAQs
You can eat the whole zucchini since the skin is soft and gets even easier to eat after it’s baked.
Yes! zucchini is the perfect way to stick to a low carb diet. This is a great recipe to feed your whole family even when just one person follows a keto lifestyle.
Before cooking zucchini, it should be stored in the fridge to keep it fresh.
If you liked this low-carb stuffed zucchini boats recipe, you’ll love these other dishes!
- 30 Minute Bruschetta Chicken Bake Recipe
- Instant Pot White Chicken Chili
- Chili Lime Shrimp Tacos
- The Easiest Big Mac Sloppy Joes
Print the Recipe
Low Carb Stuffed Zucchini Boats – Taco Style
Ingredients
- 4-5 Zucchini, medium size
- 1-2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, medium size
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 lb ground beef
- 2 Tbsp taco seasoning
- 10 oz diced tomatoes with chiles, canned
- 1.5 cups shredded cheese
- Salt & Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat a large 9×13 baking pan with oil or cooking spray.
- Cut zucchinis in half longways and trim the tops off.
- Scoop the center of each zucchini out with a spoon or small ice cream scooper, setting aside the scooped zucchini to use later.
- Line the hollowed zucchinis out onto your greased baking pan. Bake for 15 minutes.
- While the zucchini boats are baking, dice onion and garlic. Chop zucchini the set aside zucchini pieces.
- Cook onion over medium-high heat until translucent.
- Add ground beef to pan and break up with a spatula. Drain excess fat if needed.
- Once all ground beef is broken up, add taco seasoning, half of the chopped zucchini pieces, diced tomatoes with chiles and garlic. Cook for 8-10 minutes until beef is completely cooked through.
- Once the zucchini boats are finished baking remove from oven and fill boats with ground beef mixture.
- Sprinkle generously with shredded cheese and bake for additional 15 minutes or until zucchini is tender and cheese is completely melted.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
