Looking to take your taco night to the next level? These Stuffed Zucchini Boats are a great way to enjoy that taco flavor you love, while also keeping dinner on the healthier side.
Chef Jessica Approved ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
We love these stuffed zucchini boats and we know you will too. Here are a few reasons why.
- Healthier option – We all love a good taco night, but these taco boats are a healthier alternative to enjoy your favorite meal. And then I might eat two servings. LOL.
- Easy to change up – Change up the meat, seasonings and toppings with ease! The options are endless and listed out below. There are tons of options!
- Easily serve veggies to kids – Zucchini is great because it doesn’t have a ton of flavor. It’s a great way to get a serving of veggies into your kiddos. It is a blank slate that takes on the flavors of what you put in it.
What You’ll Need
Made with healthy, simple ingredients, this stuffed zucchini boat recipe is great for meal prep or any weeknight dinner. For volumes, see the full printable recipe card below.
- Zucchini – If it’s zucchini season, this is a great way to reap the harvest of your zucchini plant. If not, it’s easy to find at your local grocery store in the produce section.
- Ground turkey – Chances are if you’re looking at this recipe, you’re trying to be a little healthier. Using ground turkey is a great way to do this because it’s very lean.
- Onion – I like to use yellow onions for their sweet flavor. They pair perfectly with this zucchini taco boat recipe. Of course red will also work!
- Olive oil – We need something to help oil the pan while we sauté the onions. any neutral oil will work, but I prefer to use olive oil.
- Salsa – Use your favorite store bought brand, or make your own salsa! Chunky salsa works best just to pile it all up in the boat.
- Seasoning – Have you ever made your own homemade taco seasoning? It’s a simple blend of garlic powder, cumin, chili powder, fine sea salt and black pepper… or just grab a packet.
- Rice – You can use either white or brown rice. Both taste great, it’s just up to your personal preference. Quinoa is another protein-packed pick.
- Cheese – I like to use shredded sharp cheddar cheese, but you can use mexican blend cheeses or whatever you prefer to top your tacos with. Queso fresco (crumbly cheese) is also good. Do freshly shred the cheese, preshredded is tossed in an anti-caking agent that makes it melt all wonky.
Let’s Make Them!
There’s nothing I love more than an easy dinner recipe, and it doesn’t get much easier than these stuffed zucchini boats.
- Prepare oven and baking sheet. Preheat oven and coat a large rectangular baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- Prepare zucchini. Wash zucchinis, trim off the stem ends, and cut each zucchini in half lengthwise. Use a spoon to carefully scoop the center flesh out of zucchini halves.
- Sauté onions and cook meat. Heat a large pan or skillet on medium-high heat and add olive oil and onions. Let cook until onions are translucent, then add ground turkey meat.
- Add rice and seasonings. Add rice, salsa, garlic powder, cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper.
- Add meat to zucchini. Divide the cooked taco meat equally into the hallowed cooked zucchini boats. Press the meat firming into the center of the zucchini halves with a small spoon. Cover with foil and bake. These can also be made on the grill!
- Melt cheese. Remove the foil and top with shredded cheese, place back in the oven until the cheese is melted, about 5 minutes.
- Add toppings. Top with your favorite toppings and enjoy! Some of our favorites include chopped fresh tomatoes, avocado, bacon, cilantro, pico de gallo, guacamole or fresh jalapeno slices.
5S Philosophy 👩🏻
- Salt – A taco seasoning packet already has salt included in it. If you feel that it needs more after tasting, try adding some coarse kosher salt.
- Seasoning – Instead of making these stuffed zucchini boats taco flavored, try adding some italian seasoning and marinara sauce.
- Sauces – You can top these taco boats with sour cream, extra salsa, or any other kind of sauce that you prefer.
- Swaps – I used ground turkey for my taco zucchini boats, but you can use any taco meat mixture you’d like to. Lean ground beef, ground chicken, sausage (like Italian sausage) or even shredded chicken will all work well for your taco filling. Or go with all veggies! If you’d like to make this easy dinner even more low carb, consider using cauliflower rice in place of the white or brown rice. Bell pepper can also be added.
- Senses – Stuffed zucchini boats are a feast for the senses—vivid green zucchini halves cradle a sizzling, spice-kissed filling of seasoned ground meat, black beans, and corn. The aroma of smoky cumin and zesty lime wafts through the air, teasing the appetite
Make it A Meal
You can serve these taco boats with just about anything you would serve with regular tacos. I like to serve ours with some sort of rice. Spanish rice or Mexican cauliflower rice are two of my favorites.
In addition to the rice, a side of beans also pairs nicely with this dish. Refried beans are my favorite, but black beans are great too.
Storage and Freezing
How to Store
You can store leftover Stuffed Zucchini Boats in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three to four days.
Can I Freeze Stuffed Zucchini Boats?
While you can freeze this recipe, zucchini tends to become much softer after freezing and thawing, so keep that in mind. Store in an airtight container.
More Easy Zucchini Recipes
Zucchini is one of those ingredients that it super versatile and easy to add to almost anything. Here are a few of our favorite zucchini recipes.
Stuffed Zucchini Boats
These Zucchini Taco boats are a great way to enjoy that taco flavor you love, while also keeping dinner on the healthier side.
Servings:
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 medium zucchini
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/3 cup yellow onion , chopped
- 1 pound ground beef or turkey
- 1/2 cup cooked white or brown rice
- 1/2 cup mild chunky salsa
- 2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- Optional toppings: avocado cilantro , salsa, pico de galo, olives, sour cream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Coat a large rectangular baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
- Trim off the stem ends of the 3 medium zucchini and cut each zucchini in half lengthwise. Use a spoon to carefully scoop the center flesh out.
- Heat a large pan or skillet on medium-high heat and add the 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1/3 cup yellow onion. Let cook until onions are translucent, then add the 1 pound ground beef or turkey.
- Stir in the 1/2 cup cooked white or brown rice, 1/2 cup mild chunky salsa, 2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Let the meat for 4-5 minutes until completely cooked through.
- Divide the cooked taco meat equally into the hallowed cooked zucchini boats. Press the meat firming into the boats with a spoon. Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes.
- Remove the foil and top with the 1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, place back in the oven until the cheese is melted, about 5 minutes.
- Top with your favorite taco toppings like avocado, cilantro, more salsa or jalapenos.
- If you've tried this recipe, come back and let us know how it was in comments or star ratings.
Nutrition
Calories: 398 kcal, Carbohydrates: 11 g, Protein: 22 g, Fat: 30 g, Saturated Fat: 12 g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1 g, Monounsaturated Fat: 12 g, Trans Fat: 1 g, Cholesterol: 82 mg, Sodium: 586 mg, Potassium: 581 mg, Fiber: 2 g, Sugar: 4 g, Vitamin A: 687 IU, Vitamin C: 19 mg, Calcium: 244 mg, Iron: 2 mg
Did you make this recipe?I’d love to see your recipes – snap a picture and mention @savoryexperiments or tag #savoryexperiments!
We made it this week and the whole family loved it! Great way to get the veggies in!
What a fun way to get the kids to eat more veg! Thanks for the variation information. I don’t use a lot of ground turkey so it was helpful to know what else I can use.
These were delicious, and we chopped up leftovers for lunch and had them with salad greens. Both ways were great!