Zucchini is in full swing this time of year so I wanted to share a recipe that would show case zucchini and get us all super excited about eating it!
These turkey stuffed zucchini boats are perfect, right?
Not only do they use up a ton of zucchini but they are super family friendly (my kids love them), can be prepared ahead of time and make great leftovers. Whats not to get excited about?
The only catch with this recipe is that it does require a bit of preparation time, but I promise you they are super easy to make, they just ask for a bit of your effort and attention.
You can easily swap out the turkey for ground beef, bison, or chicken and if you prefer a vegetarian option, quinoa or lentils could make a great stuffing as well. So as always, make them work for you.
And most importantly, enjoy.
Ingredients
- 4 medium zucchini about 2 lbs.
- 2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
- 1 lb. ground turkey
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1/2 onion chopped
- 1/2 green pepper chopped
- 1/2 cup reserved zucchini meat from the center of zucchini
- 1 tbsp. Italian seasoning
- 1 cup strained tomatoes
- 1/2 cup part skim mozzarella cheese shredded
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and pre-heat oven to 350.
- Slice zucchini in half lengthwise and use a spoon (or melon baller) to scoop out the center, leaving about 1/4 inch zucchini shell all around (see video for demonstration). Be sure to save the zucchini you scooped out.
- Place zucchini in pot of boilingwater for one minute.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat before adding in ground turkey. Using a wooden spoon or spatula to break the meat into smaller pieces and cook until lightly browned.
- Add in garlic, onion, green peppers, zucchini meat, Italian seasoning, strained tomatoes, salt, and pepper. Mix everything together and simmer for about 15 minutes or until the veggies are tender and all the flavors have come together.
- Place zucchini halves in a baking dish and fill each zucchini boat with about 1/2 cup filling. Top each turkey stuffed zucchini boat with 1 tbsp. shredded mozzarella cheese.
- Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes or until the cheese has melted and everything has heated through. Enjoy!
Shelly says
Any chance you can add the part about putting the zucchini shells in the boiling water and for how long? I follow recipes to the “t” and this step is missing. Thank you. I found out what you were supposed to do with them in the comments but it didn’t say how long.
Can’t wait to try them tonight.
hannah says
Mine cane out very watery. I used Italian sausage instead could that be why? I also skipped the tomato part cause I forgot to buy it but it still turned out good I just had to take the extra water out of my boats
Dani says
Hmmm, I’m not sure why that would be. Ground turkey is pretty lean so maybe it was the sausage.
Jessie V says
The extra water comes from the vegetables (mostly the zucchini). You can drain the excess after cooking and before stuffing the boats. When you bake them the boats will release more water. Carefully tip each boat to the side and drain each one.
Marwa says
can we freeze zucchini boats?
Dani says
I haven’t tried it yet, but my guess is that you can!
Randi NW says
What can you serve as sides with these?
Dani says
I love a simple green salad with lots of crunchy veggies!
debbie Fremming says
Thanks for the great ideas. My zucchini plant got alway from me while I was out of town so now I’m looking for a good option to use up a couple of them. I also have tomatoes and bell peppers in my garden but will probably use a canned tomato product for less watery consistancy. Spaghetti sauce over the top and a different cheese would work also. I want the zucchini al dente but don’t want the extra water so will probably par boil as suggested.
Dani says
Sounds good!! Enjoy them:)
Layla says
How long do these keep in the fridge for (cooked)?
P.S
All the recipes I’ve tried are amazing !!! 🙂
Jill says
Loved this recipe! I have made it twice and everyone loved it including my husband who doesn’t normally enjoy many veggies. Thank you so much for this recipe! It’s perfect for my low carb way of life! I also love watching your videos!
Dani says
Awesome!! So glad to hear how much you loved this recipe. This is a staple in our house, especially when zucchini is in season!!
DLo says
Very good. My partner loved this. Even hustled all of our leftovers for his lunch at work.
Dani says
LOL! Love that you all enjoyed it so much. Thanks for taking the time to let me know:)
Linda says
At what oven temp. ?
Dani says
350 degrees Farhenheit
Robin says
Super yummy!!!!!
Karen Berry says
Did you leave the seeds in the zucchini meat that you scooped out?
Dani says
yes! I did 🙂
Sabrina Fulton says
1st time ever doing zucchini boats! Super excited to try this new recipe for my family! Only thing I have forgot was to boil for a minute.